El Deguello
by David Falkayn
Summary: What if neither Ron nor Kim stopped Drakken and Shego during "So the Drama"? Complete now.
1. Chapter 1

_I've written this very short piece in response to a posting on the discussion forum. I wanted to take a different take on StD. In most of the stories, we have Super Ron saving the day with his Magical Monkey Mojo when shallow Kim cruelly rejects his call for aid. What I wanted to examine was what would happen if NEITHER Ron nor Kim came to the rescue. Instead someone else had to. What would the effects be? While I think this part does work alone as an independent short, I will most likely add to it as time permits. Right now, I'm working on another Kim Possible story on Ao3 and am revising my Mockingbird-Possible crossover and have a couple of other stories I'm working on, so this is one of those stories I'll get to as I can get to it based on reader response. As to the title, the Dequello is a cavalry bugle call Moorish in origin taken first by the Spanish and then the Mexicans. It means "throat-slit" essentially it's played when quarter is to be neither given nor received. If you've never heard the tune, you can find it on YouTube. It's a very haunting and beautiful melody._

Deguello

"Oh God…Oh God…Oh God…" Ron gasped, his heart racing as he barely managed to start his scooter just as the Drakken controlled Diablo toys began climbing on it. Barely able to keep ahead of the evil mechanical toys, Ron looked over his shoulder, his eyes widening in fear as he saw the burly form of Drakken's assistant, Lars, closing in on him. As Rufus pushed away the few toys that had boarded his scooter, the young blond teen breathed a sigh of relief as Drakken's stooge collided with a billboard sign.

Catching a momentary break, Ron took out his Kimmunicator and hit the speed dial. "Kim will come, old buddy." The sidekick said, but without the confidence that he usually possessed where his friend was concerned, "She wouldn't let us down."

If there was a heaven on earth, Kim Possible was convinced she was there. She was dancing at her junior prom in her beautiful prom dress with a handsome, charming, intelligent boy. No sitches, no supervillains, no crises. This was her night and she was enjoying every second of it.

Then, her Kimmunicator beeped. "I'll be back in minute, Erik." Kim said as she gently touched her date on the back of his hand. Leaving the dance floor, she made her way to the table where her friend Monique was sitting. Her Kimmunicator still beeping, Kim was just about to answer it until halted by her friend's words.

"Just let it go to voicemail, bestie." Monique said with a smile.

"But what if it's important?" Kim replied, uncomfortable at the thought of potentially missing an important call from either Wade or Ron.

"More important than…" Monique paused for a moment and looked up, "Hi, Eric!"

"Anything wrong?" Erik inquired as he brought an extra glass of punch for his date.

As her Kimmunicator beeped again, Erik said in a soothing voice, "I think Wade will understand."

"Yeah." Kim smiled as she gazed into the eyes of your date as she turned off her Kimmunicator. "It'll keep 'til tomorrow."

Hearing the recorded message of Kim's voice mail, Ron turned off his Kimmunicator. Lowering his head, he confessed to his little rodent companion, "Rufus…Kim's not coming. Not this time. And we can't do it alone. We can't take on Drakken, Shego, Lars, those Diablo robots, and whatever else they have waiting for us. It's over. Drakken's finally won. Let's go home."

"Awwww…" The little rodent sobbed as he tried to comfort his human companion.

"It's time, Shego." Drakken gloated as he activated the control signal. "The world will soon be forced to kneel at my feet or risk annihilation. Even now, my pretties are in position. And…" His lips turned up in an evil grin as he saw his synthdrone kissing his most hated nemesis on the dance floor, "The icing on the cake will be the total humiliation of Kim Possible!"

"I don't believe it." Shego grinned as she saw the images of Kim dancing with Drakken's puppet. "Your plan might actually work, Dr. D."

As the control signal pulsed, the Diablo toys did indeed activate. The Pentagon, United Nations, Tokyo, Go City, all attacked by the rampaging monsters, now no longer toy sized but rather increased in height to ten feet or higher. The world militaries were quick to respond. Artillery strikes, air to surface missiles, concentrated fire all whittled down the number of the Diablos, but quantity is its own form of quality as for every Diablo that went down, two took its place and the collateral damage caused by the use of heavy weapons was high. Civilian casualties began to mount…hundreds…thousands…tens of thousands until the President, his options limited, came to a decision.

Addressing his cabinet, the President took a deep breath and exhaled before speaking. "Before I say anything else, I will say right now that surrender is not an option. Is it not on the plate and will never be considered. Now that that is out of the way, I am authorizing the Operation Deguello. General Greer, are your teams ready?"

"Yes, Sir." The army general, a burly man with russet colored hair who had fought in countless combat operations all over the globe, responded with a curt nod of his head.

"Good." You are authorized to proceed

"General Stevens? Are your units in position?"

"Yes, Sir." The Air Force general, a slender man with blond hair greying at the temples, responded. "We have one F-117 with two EMP missiles, Predator drones with Hellfire missiles, and a B-2 on station with a tactical nuclear bomb.

"Very good." Good luck and Godspeed.

"Team Alpha in position." An army sniper and his spotter reported from their place of concealment. "Target acquired." The sniper reported, his .50 Barrett sniper rifle sighted in on the blue skinned man currently raising his arms in what appeared to be a near hysterical rant.

"Team Bravo in position." Another sniper, armed similarly to the first one, reported, his target a lovely dark-haired woman with green skin and wearing a skin-tight black and green catsuit.

"Tiny Dancer in position." A female voice flying the F-117 reported.

"Big 'Un" in position." The pilot of the B-2 radioed in.

"Psy Ops reports the speakers are active. We're ready when you are."

Colonel Alberto Gonzalez, the grandson of undocumented Mexican immigrants, gave a single nod of the head to the signal technician. "To Dr. Drakken. I am now playing the response of the US government and people."

The loudspeakers and speakers in the Bueno Nacho headquarters, along with all radio and television channels played the same tune. A trumpet solo, low and mournful, yet beautiful rang out through the speakers.

"That's very pretty." Drakken remarked as he heard the music, "Maybe this is there way of honoring me?"

On hearing the first notes of the trumpet, James Possible leaped from his seat, "Ann…Kids…get to the basement shelter—NOW!"

"There's something about that song…" Shego remarked, "Something familiar…but I can't place it."

Hearing the song, Steve Barkin took a deep breath and exhaled. Knowing that there was no shelter where the prom was being held, the teacher decided to give his young charges these final few minutes of happiness.

Amelia Rodriguez, on hearing the trumpet notes, shed a tear as she crossed herself.

As the trumpet solo drew to its conclusion, Shego finally remembered, but too late, "Dr. D.!" She cried out only to see the mad scientist's head explode from the impact of a .50 caliber bullet, splattering bone fragments, blood, and brain and tissue matter all over her face and body. Ducking quickly she felt sheer pain as a bullet round severed her arm. Acting quickly, she cauterized the stump remaining of her arm with hot plasma only to see in horror four contrails coming towards her. "Hell." Then fire, explosions, and dark. 

All of Middleton was bathed in a brilliant white light before going completely dark. The Diablos, their control signal destroyed, all collapsed to the ground in heaps. Kim, turning to her date, cried out in shock and horror as he melted into a green goo, some of what was once Erik splattering on to her dress and face.

"Mr. President?" The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff reported. "Operation Deguello was a complete success. Targets neutralized with minimal civilian casualties. The Tri-City area is currently under martial law. FEMA, the Red Cross, and other emergency services are standing by and we've sent in First Cav to assist in first responder and law enforcement. Until further notice, Middleton is under a dusk to dawn curfew.

"Thank you, General." The President responded. "I want a return to civilian government there as soon as possible. Now…if you'll excuse me ladies and gentlemen, I have a duty to the American people I must perform.

Everyone in Middleton watched or listened to the President's address as helicopters flew overhead and tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and hummers patrolled the streets. Kim Possible, along with her parents, Ron Stoppable, and Betty Director of Global Justice watched the speech on the Possible's television

"This has been a tragic time for us all, but I have faith that the American people—especially those living in the Tri-City area and Middleton in particular who were hit hardest by these events will persevere and triumph. Thanks to the courage and efforts of the men and women of our military, the schemes of an evil man and his accomplice have been thwarted once and for all. Forensic teams have recovered the remains of Andrew Lipsky, also known as Dr. Drakken, and Sheila Goh, also known as Shego in the wreckage of the Bueno Nachos headquarters building they had confiscated as their lair. Our representative to the United Nations Security Council has also introduced a resolution as regards those regarded as supervillains. I have also directed intelligence and special operations branches of the US military to be ready to act against certain individuals and groups to be named later…"

Dr. Director turned to Kim and Ron, both sitting on opposite ends of the Possible couch, the gap between the two teens resembling an ocean more than anything else. "Congress will in all likelihood pass a law that's already being called the Possible Act. The essence of that law is that civilian vigilantism like what Team Possible did is now illegal. Kim…Ron…you are no longer permitted to engage in any of your formal activities."

"But my website?" Kim pleaded her eyes moist with tears, "Does that mean I can't help people anymore?" She sobbed, feeling as if a piece of her soul was being ripped out.

"You can babysit, go odd jobs, rescue cats, volunteer at the hospital, homeless shelters, any number of other activities for people who are really going to need someone to help right now, Kim." The Global Justice director said, "But no more fighting supervillains or any other activity that could be classified as law enforcement. I must also have you both promise that you will not leave the Tri-City area without prior authorization until you have graduated high school or have reached your twenty-first birthday—whichever comes first. If you do not agree to this, then you will be fitted with electronic ankle bracelets that will alert us if you go beyond a certain radius of the Middleton city limits. Regardless of which option you pick, as of now Team Possible is no more. So…which will it be? Your promise or the ankle bracelets?" As if on cue, Will Du entered carrying a black box.

"You've got my promise." Ron stated, "I was going to leave the team anyway…" The blond teen declared, ignoring the look of shocked astonishment on the part of his old friend, "This just makes it easier."

"Kim?" Betty asked.

"I promise." The young redhead, her head bowed low, replied in a soft, low voice.

"If it's any consolation to you…" The Director said, "Your past contributions have not been forgotten. The President has directed me to inform both of you that upon your graduation from high school, a place has been set aside for each of you in the military academy of your choice. You will also receive preferential treatment for civil service positions following your graduation from college or completion of your military obligation. Also, should you not wish to enter one of the academies, a rather generous scholarship fund has been set aside for each of you for the college or university of your choice. Make no mistake about it…you're both heroes…"

"I don't feel much like a hero right now." Kim sobbed as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I've never been a hero in the first place." Ron declared in a soft voice. "Kim was always the hero. I was just the sidekick…an anchor around her neck."

"Ron…" Kim looked up, shaking her head as tears flowed down her cheeks, "You were always there for me. I could never have…"

"Yes you could, Kim." Ron interrupted. "You're a Possible. You can do anything. I'm a Stoppable. If I weren't there, you'd have found a way to win. Me…I'm a klutz who can't even his pants up. You don't have to worry about me playing hero anymore, Doctor Director. Now…if it's all right…I'd like to go home. I'm tired and I'm sure my parents are worried about me.

"Of course, Mr. Stoppable." Betty replied. "Agent Du will give you a ride home."

"Ron?" Kim called out as her old friend opened the front door to leave, "We'll talk tomorrow…okay?"

"Yeah." Ron tersely replied, "Maybe."


	2. Chapter 2

Dequello

Chapter 2

"_While power has been restored through much of the Middleton area, there are still homes and businesses that lack electricity. Also, we remind everyone that the area around the Bueno Nachos headquarters is still a restricted zone with access forbidden to all who do not possess an authorized pass. Food, clothing, bottled water, and other essentials are available at the following locations and also we have an updated listing of open shelters for those who require housing…"_ The anchor was replaced by a listing of addresses_, "The phased withdrawal of military authority is continuing as the last of the US Army units currently maintaining public order will be replaced by local police departments and county sheriffs as well as the Colorado State Police within the next few days. Colonel Gonzalez extends his thanks and appreciation to the people of the Tri-City area for their cooperation during this difficult time…"_

'Things seem to be improving at least." Dr. James Possible said as he poured a glass of water for himself and his daughter. "We were fortunate. We had a hardened generator that could handle most of our power needs. Many homes in the area weren't so fortunate."

"I know, Dad." Kim sighed, "I asked Ron if he and his family wanted to stay with us until their power came back on, but he said they were staying with Felix and his family."

"Well…" James said as he tried to cheer his daughter up, "Looks like they've moved back now that their power's back on. Maybe you should go see him?"

"I don't know…" Kim sighed, "Every time I've tried to talk to him, he says he has to go somewhere else or he's got something he has to do, or he makes up some other excuse to keep from talking to me."

Dr. Possible said, forcing a smile to his face, "I'm sure it has nothing to do with you, Kim. Things are still pretty unsettled. Give him a little time. Everything will be back to the way it was in a few days or weeks. The display on the television monitor catching his eye, the rocket scientist pointed, "Hey…they're announcing the reopening the school again."

"_The Middleton Unified School District has announced that schools will reopen tomorrow. The School Board, in consultation with the State and Federal Departments of Education have decided that it would best serve the interests of the students of the District to extend the current school year by the amount of time missed due to the Diablo Incident rather than starting the next school year early. While it will make for a somewhat shorter summer vacation for our students, it will allow them to enjoy what we all hope will be a better year next year."_

"_Shifting to financial news, the Bueno Nacho Corporation has announced today that it is filing for bankruptcy under Chapter Seven citing a drastic loss of revenue due to the destruction of its national headquarters as well as several restaurants world-wide because of the Diablo Incident as well as a class action law suit filed by the employees and survivors of employees affected by that tragic occurrence. Buenos Nachos stock prices, already low as a result of the Incident and the court filings, plummeted even lower today on release of the news."_

"I read in the obituaries that Ned…you know…the manager of the Bueno Nachos me and Ron used to hang out at." Dr. Possible gently wiped the tears from his daughter's eyes as his wife joined her husband and little girl in a group hug, "I read that Ned was killed in the attack. He couldn't get out in time before those missiles hit. He wasn't even part of Drakken's scheme!" The young redhead sobbed, "He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Just like all the others who died or who are in the hospital now. All because I turned my Kimmunicator off so that I could enjoy being a regular teenage girl for one night!"

"Kim…" Ann cooed as she hugged her daughter close to her, "You can't blame yourself for what happened."

"Yes, I can, Mom!" Kim cried out in anguish. "When I turned on my Kimmunicator once I got home…after everything that happened and before Dr. Director confiscated it…I saw that Ron was the last person who called and that Wade had called before him. If I'd have answered one of those calls… "

"It wouldn't have changed a thing, Kimmie-cub." James interrupted, wiping fresh tears from his daughter's face. "Not even you and Ron could have stopped Drew that night. He was prepared for everything except for the reaction he got."

"What do you mean, Dad?" Kim asked as Mrs. Possible turned off the television.

"In all of your fights with Drew and that other woman, how many innocent people were killed, Kimmie?"

"None that I know of." Kim replied, "I don't even think that any henchmen were killed. We did everything we could to avoid anyone being seriously hurt or killed."

"I know that, darling." James said with a warm smile on his face, "And you have no idea how proud your mother and I are of you and Ron for doing that. Us and the Stoppables have been blessed with two wonderful children." Just then, the Tweebs came bounding down the stairs. "Make that four wonderful children." James' smile grew broader.

"Thanks, Mom…Dad…" Kim managed a weak smile at her parent's heartfelt praise, "But what does that have to do with…"

"Because the two of you had always stopped Drew and his accomplice short of them actually carrying through on their plots, no one got hurt so the authorities didn't have to react too forcefully—something Betty told me that they're regretting now. This time though, Drew crossed the line. Innocent lives were lost…and no…it wasn't because you weren't there to stop him. By the time you would have gotten there, it was already too late."

Taking a deep breath, James was unsure as to whether to continue until his wife gently prodded him, "Go ahead, Honey. She needs to know."

Taking a deep breath, James explained to his daughter, "Betty told us to tell you this if we felt we needed to. Well…we think you do need to know. That attack was going to happen regardless of whether you were there or not. Too many people were killed because of this and they were not going to let Drew and that other woman just walk away. Not this time. Had you and Ron been there, you'd have died with them and that's something so horrible to contemplate, your Mom and I don't even want to think about it. We're just happy you're here now with us."

"Oh Mom…Dad!" Kim sobbed, "I just wish…"

"I know, Honey." Ann cooed as she and James hugged their daughter, "I know. I do too."

"Why don't you go on to bed now, Kimmie. You've got school tomorrow and we've got work."

"Good night, Mom…Dad. I love you." Kim weakly replied as she slowly made her way up the stairs to her loft. Not even bothering to change into her sleep shirt, Kim collapsed on her bed and cried herself to sleep.

As his daughter walked up the stairs to her room, James stole a glance at his closet where, in a chest, he kept the specially designed battlesuit he was going to give to Kim. That, he realized, could well have given his daughter the edge she needed to have defeated Drew and the woman with him. "But…we'll never know now." James muttered to himself. Tomorrow, he vowed, he would take the battlesuit back to the Space Center before his Kimmie-cub could see it. No need for him to add that to the pain and suffering she was already putting herself through right now. Hopefully, she'll be able to live the rest of her life without ever finding out about it.

"Have you talked to Kim, Ron?" Felix asked his best friend as Zita and the Rentons helped the Stoppables move back into their home after spending the past few weeks with the Renton family.

"No." Ron shook his head as he began the process of transferring his clothing from his suitcase to his closet. "I just haven't been able to bring myself to do it."

"Sooner or later you're gonna have to—you know that don't you?" Felix pointed out as he wheeled his chair to Ron's computer terminal. Booting up the computer to check it out, the young man advised, "It's not doing either one of you any good leaving this hanging between the two of you."

"What should I do, Felix?" Ron pleaded, "I can't go through this again with her. First, it was Josh Mankey. I did what I thought a good friend was supposed to do—I gave her the push she needed to go on and talk to him and ask him to the Spirit Dance. Then she locks me in the closet. I was stuck there until the cleanup crew came the next morning. And I didn't say a word to her about it. As far as I know, she still doesn't know about it."

"Why didn't you tell her?" Felix asked, "I'd think that's something you'd want to discuss with her."

'I don't know." Ron shook his head. "She was so happy that things went well with Mankey that I didn't have the heart to tell her. Now…" He lowered his head, "Mankey's dead. Another poor soul who didn't do anything wrong except for being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Then there was Hirotaka although Bonnie ended up beating her out and I was well…there was Yori…so…I guess to be fair…" Ron managed a slight smile, "We can call this one a wash."

"Okay…" Felix nodded his head, "No real drama there."

"Then there was Bobby Johnson, but…that could have been Drakken's device influencing her." Ron conceded.

"All right…" Felix said, "No problem there either."

"Then…" Ron sighed, "Erik…"

"Big problem." Felix surmised, seeing the look of anguish on his friend's face.

"Very big problem." Ron agreed. "He was everything Kim wanted…everything I wasn't. What could I do?"

"Did you tell her how you felt?" Felix asked.

"Of course not!" Ron answered back. "She'd have just told me to grow up and quit being a baby—which she told me to do anyway! I would have made a fool out of myself and we wouldn't' be friends anymore. That's why I didn't go to the prom to try to warn her after she refused to answer both mine and Wade's calls. I knew it wouldn't have done any good. She would have just told me I was being an idiot and that I was ruining her special night out of spite. Friendship over again. Either way I was screwed."

"And now?" Felix asked.

"Friendship over." Ron tersely replied. "Yay me! I scored a hat-trick."

"Without even giving yourselves a chance to work things out?" Felix rebutted trying to get his friend to see reason. You're going to throw away over a decade of friendship and the chance of maybe something more over what is now a pile of green goo sitting in a lab somewhere and a careless act of stupidity that happened a couple of years ago? Are you going to give Drakken and Shego who I'm sure are both burning in Hell right now the satisfaction of busting the two of you up as their last act of petty viciousness and cruelty on this earth?"

"I don't know." Ron shook his head and sighed, "All I do know is that I can't go through this again."

"One last piece of advice, then we better get down…I got a feeling our folks are getting irritated at us goofing off up here. Talk to her. Let her know how you truly feel about her. Be honest. Even if she rejects you—at least you can walk away knowing that you let her know how you feel. You won't have the dreaded 'woulda…coulda…shoulda' hanging over your head for the rest of your life. But don't wait too long, my friend. There are already too many burned bridges between the two of you right now and there aren't too many left still standing. Don't burn down that last bridge."

"Thanks, Felix." Ron replied, placing his hand on the other boy's shoulder, "I'll think about what you said."

"Please, Ron. Do." Felix pleaded. "You're both good friends of mine and I hate to see the two of you hurting like this."

"Looks like Ron's not walking to school with me." Kim sighed as she picked up her bookbag. "I better get going."

"Wait a second, honey." Ann called out, "I'll drive you there. It's on the way to work."

"Thanks, Mom." The young redhead said in a soft voice, "I wasn't really looking forward to walking by myself today."

As mother and daughter drove together to the school, Ann asked her teenage girl, "Kimmie…did you and Ron get into a fight or something before the prom?"

Thinking back to that fateful night and the events before it, Kim answered back, "I can't think of a fight per se…but we did have something of a strange conversation in his treehouse before Erik asked me to the prom."

"Strange conversation in the treehouse?" Ann repeated, hinting to her daughter that she was seeking clarification.

"Yeah." Kim nodded her head. "When he's stressed, he likes to go up to the old treehouse we played in when we were kids. We talked. It was kind of a weird conversation."

"How so?" Ann inquired, trying to draw her daughter out.

"He started talking about how we'd camp up there when we were kids, then the conversation drifted to Camp Wannaweep, and yeah, there was the usual stuff that he says whenever that name gets mentioned, but then…he tells me that the worst thing about going to camp was spending the entire summer away from me. And then he goes off on the whole sitch with Bueno Nachos."

"Hmmm…" Ann murmured as she began to get a clearer picture of the situation. "So…what did you say?"

"I told him that it seemed that there was more he wanted to talk about than Bueno Nachos, then he suddenly switched to talking about Erik, telling me that he was okay with me being with him."

"He said that just out of the blue?" Ann asked, the picture now becoming crystal clear to her, even though it still seemed to be either unintentionally or intentionally obscured from her daughter.

"Yeah." Kim nodded her head.

"So what did you tell him?" Ann asked.

"I told him Erik wasn't going to change anything between us, that we'd always be tight. He didn't seem to believe that though because he made a comment about those being pretty words. I guess I kinda got angry at him and told him that we're not in pre-K anymore and that it was time to grow up. Erik then showed up and Ron said that he couldn't come up. Made up some lame excuse about Erik weighing too much to join us, so I told him we'd talk the next day and left him up there. And well…you know what happened after that."

"I see." Ann simply replied.

"Mom…Is Erik the reason why Ron won't talk to me?"

"I think you need to talk to Ron, honey." Ann answered as she pulled into the school. "Take care and…good luck."

As she pulled away from the school, Mrs. Possible shook her head. Even though her daughter was bright, courageous, and confident, and so many other wonderful things, there were times in which she was completely clueless—often because she did not want to see what was staring her in the face. Unfortunately, this was one of those times. Also unfortunately, this was something Kim was going to have to work out for herself. All she and James could do, Ann somberly reflected, was be there if and when their little girl needed them.

As she entered the school, Kim at once spotted her best friend, Monique, hanging out by her locker. Approaching her friend, Kim managed a slight smile. "Hi, Mo. How are you doing?"

"Hey Kim!" Monique grinned on seeing her BFF. "We got our power back on yesterday, and the manager for Club Banana said that the mall and the store should be open the first of next week, so that's good news—got my job back. So…how you been, GF?"

Letting out a breath of air, Kim grimly replied, "Barely holding on it seems." Opening her locker, she found that the computer she kept there had been removed. "I see they didn't waste any time in confiscating it. GJ must have done it the same time Dr. Director was at my house and took away our Kimmunicators."

"Guess they're serious about you no longer going on missions." Monique remarked, "And after everything you've done for them!"

"I can see why they're doing it." Kim reluctantly admitted as her eyes drifted to where Josh Mankey's parents were tearfully cleaning out his locker.

Seeing the same scene, Monique lowered her voice to barely above a whisper, "I was shocked when I heard about Josh."

"Crystal and Liz died too." Kim sighed as she wiped away her tears with a tissue given to her by her friend. "I found out last night. Same thing…wrong place at the wrong time. The two of them were on a date. They were celebrating their one year anniversary with each other. That's why they weren't at the prom. None of us even knew they were going out with each other."

"Damn Drakken and Shego to Hell!" Monique cursed, an angry scowl on her face.

"I'm sure they're getting what they deserve." Kim said in a soft voice and then asked, "Have you seen Ron?"

"Yeah." Monique nodded her head once, "He breezed by me. Didn't even say a word. Went straight to the Assembly Hall. I'm headed there now…wanna go with?"

"Sure." Kim nodded her head, "I'm hoping I'll get a chance to talk to him either before the assembly or after."

"Well, GF, here's hoping you can breathe a spark of life into the poor guy. I don't think I've ever seen him as…detached…as I saw him just a while ago."

"Detached?" Kim squeaked.

"Yeah." The chocolate-skinned teen replied as the pair walked down the hall to the auditorium. "It was like a part of him was gone. No goofy grin. No jokes. Nothing. Granted…right now no one's in exactly a happy mood—not after what happened. But…it seemed like part of Ron—the best part—had died."

As the two girls entered the auditorium, they saw that the object of their conversation was seated near the front, all the other seats near him full. Finding a couple of empty seats, the girls sat down just as Mr. Barkin took his position behind the podium. Clearing his throat, the burly former Marine spoke in a loud, clear voice.

"Attention students. Due to personnel shortages because of the tragic recent events, I will taking over as Vice-Principal in addition to my other duties filling in for teachers when and where necessary. We return to school after one of the darkest days in our community's history. We have lost friends…family…loved ones. But we shall persevere. Let us now remember our fellow teachers and students who cannot be here with us today in the flesh, but shall always be with us in the spirit: Ms. Sparr—Geography; Mr. Cody—Science; Ms. Terry—Math…" Then, on reading the names of the next group of names, the brawny teacher stifled a sob, "Big Mike Jorgensen, Vinnie Talbot, Joey Reynolds, Josh Mankey, Crystal Edwards, Elizabeth Sanders. You will always live in our hearts. Now…may we have a moment's silence for our fallen friends and teachers.

Not a sound except for a few stifled sobs and uncontrolled weeping from both Bonnie and Tara could be heard for the next few minutes until Mr. Barkin again spoke, this time in a quiet baritone.

"Assembly dismissed."

_**Author's Notes:**__ I want to thank everyone who read and reviewed the last part and hope everyone enjoys this second part as we begin to turn up the angst level a bit here. As regards the speed of reaction of the military —I do confess to taking dramatic license for story purposes. Although, a point could be made that Middleton does possess important assets and has been something of a hub for supervillain activity so a ready response team could well have been prepositioned there—just in case. As for Yamanouchi—there's a strong possibility that Ron might not want anything to do with them. Right now, he's got a lot on his plate and, frankly speaking, both him and Kim are confused and unsure of what's going on. To a large extent, this is a story about communication and the lack thereof and we're seeing plenty of that here._


	3. Chapter 3

Deguello

Chapter 3

"Ron?" Kim called out to her old friend as he exited the auditorium. "Ron?" She pleaded again as he seemed to have not heard her the first time. "Please…talk to me."

Closing his eyes as he took a deep breath and exhaled, Ron, clasping his hands behind his back so that he could hide the golden ring on his ring finger, turned about to see his old friend. As he saw the bags under her tearstained eyes and her haggard appearance, his heart skipped a beat. "Kim." He replied in a flat monotone.

"Oh, Ron…I'm…" Kim sobbed.

"Not now, Kim." Ron interrupted, maintaining his calm exterior while inside he felt himself being torn apart. His arms gesturing at the students coming and going, he explained, "It's too busy now and…I'm not ready yet."

"When, then?" Kim asked.

"Things are going to be pretty raw for the next few days, Kim." Ron replied, "They're having the funeral service for Josh, Crystal, Liz, and the others tomorrow—things were still very unsettled when they were buried. Tara's giving Crystal, Liz's, and Josh's eulogies and she needs me with her…"

"So…you and Tara…"

"Not now, Kim." Ron shook his head, "I'm not ready for that discussion right now and when we do have it, Tara needs to be there with us."

"When will you be?" Kim pleaded as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"How does Friday sound?" Ron proposed, "We can meet at Edna's…you know…the diner? Since Bueno Nachos closed it's been pretty much where we hang out. We can get together after school. We'll talk then."

"Promise?"

"I promise." The blond teen responded in a grave voice. "Friday."

"I guess…" Kim sighed as she reluctantly turned away to join her BFF Monique who was standing with a worried look on her face, "…we'll talk then. Ron…" She again looked at her old friend, her eyes moist with tears, "Please believe me when I tell you I care about you and I've…missed you."

"I know, Kim." Ron answered back in a low voice as he joined Felix who was also waiting and watching with a concerned look on his face.

"So?" Monique asked as Kim joined her by their lockers, "From the look on your face, your talk didn't go too well."

"He didn't want to talk now." Kim replied as she opened her locker, "I guess I can see why—it is kinda hectic now. He said Friday at Edna's."

"That's a good sign." Monique declared, trying to put a positive spin on the situation. "Things are kinda rough right now. A couple of days will give everything and everyone some time to settle down."

"I can see that, I guess." Kim sighed and shook her head, "He didn't look detached to me though so much as preoccupied—like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. I didn't see any of the old Ron. And…what's going on with him and Tara?"

"Yeah." Monique agreed, "Detached was perhaps a poor choice of words on my part. I'm used to you know…the why be normal Ron. Maybe…if the two of you can patch things up a little and after everything settles down, some of that old Ron might come back."

"Patch things up a little?" Kim stuttered.

"Just don't expect things to completely go back to the way they were between the two of you, Kim."

"What do you mean?" Kim asked as butterflies rose in her stomach.

"Things changed after the Incident, GF. You know that. They changed for a lot of us—especially Ron and Tara. But I think the two of them should be the ones to talk to you about that. And promise me you won't confront Tara about it. That girl's got enough to deal with right now. She doesn't need any more drama piled on to what's already there." Monique cautioned, her voice carrying a very stern note of warning that Kim had never heard from her friend before.

As she saw the grave and firm expression on her best friend's face, Kim took a deep breath and gulped, "Okay. I promise. I'll wait until Friday and I won't mention any of this to Tara."

"I also think it might not be a bad idea to have someone with you in case things get heated." Monique further advised.

"That bad, Huh?" Kim moaned, then gazed into the eyes of her friend, "Can I count on you to…"

"You know you can, BFF." Monique replied with a warm smile.

"I caught part of your conversation…sorry for eavesdropping." Felix said as his old friend drew closer.

"No you're not." Ron replied, a ghost of a smile appearing on his face.

"You're right." Felix nodded his head in affirmation, "I'm not. Still, it was smart of you to wait until Friday until you talk and doing it at Edna's. Neutral ground and giving time for things to settle down will help keep things calm. The thing you don't want is for someone to say or do something in anger that can't be taken back." After a few moments of silence, Felix broached the next item that might well cause an explosion once it comes to light, "You and Tara are going to tell her the news? I realize you two only just told me and Monique about it and I have a feeling the only reason you two told us was because of that little plus sign."

Letting out a breath of air, Ron apologized, "I'm sorry, Felix. We were going to tell you after the funeral and everything, but well…really we only found out for sure literally shortly after you and I talked when you, Zita, and your folks helped us move back home after we got the power back.

"I'm sorta hazy on the details here." Felix said, seeking clarification, "Exactly when did you and Tara start…you know…"

"It was literally just after the attack…during the attack, actually when everything went to hell." Ron explained. "Neither one of us planned for or expected it to happen. I mean…" The youthful blond blushed, "I guess there was always something of an attraction between us even if either or both of us didn't realize it at the time. I was so hung up on Kim that I never saw Tara looking at me and when Kim of all people, brought it to my attention, she was already involved with Josh Mankey, but that relationship was really Josh on the rebound…it didn't stand a chance of going anywhere. There was a lot more going on with Josh's breakup with Kim than most people know—really more than I knew until Tara told me the details. I'm not sure how to phrase it and be fair to Kim…but I found out some things…some not very nice things…about Kim that I didn't know before—and I've known her since pre-K."

"Like what?" Felix asked.

"A lot goes on in the girls' locker room that doesn't make it out." Ron replied. "Let's just say that Hurricane Kim has a tendency to leave a lot of damage in her wake most of the time without meaning to, but sometimes…when she wants to twist the knife, she can be even more brutal about it than Bonnie and as I found out prior to the prom, she's just as hung up on the food chain and her place in it as Bonnie."

As the pair made their way down the hallway to their first period class, Felix prompted his friend, "I think maybe you should take me through this starting from the beginning."

_**Approximately One Month Earlier**_

"She's not coming this time, Rufus…" Ron said as he got Kim's voicemail.

"Go get her." Rufus encouraged from his perch on Ron's shoulder.

"It wouldn't do any good old friend." The adolescent boy said as he let out a breath of air. "All she'd do if we showed up at the prom is tell us to get lost. We might as well go home. Drakken and Shego have finally won." Ron sighed as he tried to crank up his scooter only to find that it wouldn't work. Letting out a snort of disgust, the blond teen threw his hands up in the air, "Why not? Everything else has gone wrong. Looks like we're hoofing it, little guy."

"It'll be okay." He heard the little mole-rat chatter as Ron began the long trek back to his house. Halfway there, Ron heard a horn honking, turning around, he at once recognized Tara's Toyota Camry with the platinum-blonde cheerleader at the wheel.

"Ron?" Tara called out as she rolled down the passenger's side window, leaning over so that she could be heard. "What are you doing out here?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Ron replied in a somber tone.

Opening the passenger side door to her car, Tara invited, "Hop in. I was on my way to Bueno Nachos to meet up with Josh and a few other peeps. We took off before the prom was over. Jason was drunk and all hands and Josh and his date decided to bail when…No…forget I mentioned it…it's not important." She shook her head, not wanting to broach the subject of Kim and her date simultaneously humiliating Josh and disparaging Ron with subtle and not so subtle condescending remarks. "Why don't you come with. You can tell me on the way."

Shaking his head violently, Ron exclaimed, "Don't go to the Bueno Nachos! Drakken and Shego…they've taken over the headquarters…they're gonna…"

"Slow down, Ron." Tara urged in a soothing voice. Remembering her gymnastics and cheerleader training, she maintained her comforting tone of voice, "Breathe deep…" She directed, waiting for the boy seated next to her to take a deep breath. "Now exhale…Good…do it again." Seeing that he had calmed down somewhat, Tara asked in an almost motherly tone, "Okay…what's going on at the Bueno Nachos?"

"You wouldn't believe me." Ron shook his head, "I'm not sure I believe myself."

"Ron…you've been in all sorts of weird stuff. We were at Camp Wannaweep—remember?" She said, a shy smile appearing on her face. "So you know I'm going to believe you. Tell me…what's going on?"

Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Ron spilled everything he'd discovered—the Diablo robots, Drakken's plot to take over the world, his escape from the Bueno Nachos headquarters—everything and then once he was done, he turned his head towards Tara and forced a crooked grin to his face, "I guess this is where you stop the car and tell me to get the hell out—right?"

"No." Tara replied with a grim look on her face and floored the accelerator, "This is the part where I tell you I believe you and then step on the gas so that we can warn everyone before it's too late."

"You…you believe me?" Ron gasped in shock.

"Of course I do." Tara giggled as the car sped down the road. "You saved me and the other cheerleaders—including Kim and Mr. Barkin—from being turned into horrible mutant monsters by Gill. Why wouldn't I believe you?"

"Rufus…" Ron said, smiling at his little companion, "This is the first bon-diggedty good thing to happen tonight." Then a giant Diablo robot landed right in the middle of the road, forcing Tara to swerve the car, barely missing the behemoth as the monster took a swipe at the tiny compact car. Thankfully, Tara was just able to avoid being struck by the monster, but in the process drove the car into a ditch.

"Tara!" Ron called out as he saw the woman with him lurching forward in the seat before both airbags inflated.

"I'm…I'm all right Ron." Tara replied in a shaken voice. "The back seat—we can get out through the back doors."

"Right." Ron said as he climbed over the front seat and, landing clumsily on the back bench seat, helped the blonde teenage girl with him over to join him. Clutching tightly to her, the pair waited in silence as the Diablo searched about the area. Hearing the giant robot stomping away, Ron relaxed his hold, "It's gone now…" He said in a soft voice just as the sky lit up in light and fire and the earth shuddered. "What the?" The young teen screamed.

"Don't let go of me, Ron!" Tara sobbed, "Please…hold me!"

"Don't worry, Tara. I've got you" Ron said in a soothing voice as their lips drew closer drawn to each other as if by some irresistible force. A gentle kiss soon turned into a more lingering one which then turned into a frenzy as the couple kissed, nibbled, and caressed each other while shedding their clothing in a torrent of passion. They made love again and again until a rapping at the window caused them to freeze. Looking up, the couple saw a grinning soldier motioning for them to get out. After getting dressed and exiting the vehicle, the couple showed the soldier their IDs.

"Mr. Stoppable? I'm under orders to see that you are brought to the Possible home for debriefing immediately. Don't worry…" He said as he saw Ron glancing at Tara, "We'll make sure your girlfriend gets home safe and sound."

"Go on, Ron." Tara whispered as she gave Ron a kiss along with her phone number and address. "If the phones are out, here's my address. Come see me and we'll talk some more—okay."

Nodding his head, Ron took the paper with the blonde girl's info on it and returned her kiss. "I'll see you as soon as possible, Tara. I promise."

"I know." Tara answered back as Ron got in one of the hummers while Tara was escorted to a second vehicle.

"Seems like a nice girl you got there." The driver, a female sergeant said..

"The nicest." Ron answered back, his lips turned up in a momentary grin until he remembered that he was about to be brought to see another girl—one that he once had strong feelings for, but who never returned them. Now, he found someone who did. How to tell his old friend that without hurting her? And…should he even bother about not wanting to hurt her. After all…she wasn't too interested in sparing his feelings when she told him to grow up while they were in the treehouse. Nor was she too concerned about him a year ago during the Spirit Dance or after. So much to think about…so much to decide.

_**Middleton High—the present**_

"The driver took me to the Possible's house and you know the rest. Felix, that first time with Tara. It was like nothing I—either of us—have ever experienced before." Ron related to his friend in a soft voice so that their fellow classmates could not overhear them. "We were just so totally lost in each other. It was like all of those years of pent up feelings combined with everything that happened made for a…"

"Perfect storm." Felix nodded his head knowingly. "So…that's why we didn't see that much of you while you were staying at our house."

"Yeah." Ron said as a genuinely happy smile crossed his features. "I was with Tara. We had a place where we could go to be alone and didn't have to worry about anyone bothering us. We made love and we talked and cried—a lot. Really, a lot more talking and crying than making love—although we did a lot of that too. For the first time, I was able to just unload everything—Kim, home, school, everything. And she was able to do the same. You know who's the one who holds those cheerleaders together?"

"I'm going to hazard a guess and say Tara." Felix chuckled.

"And you'd be right." Ron laughed along with his friend. "She singlehandedly keeps Bonnie and Kim from ripping each other's throats out. She kept Crystal and Liz's relationship a secret, covering for them on several occasions. She's Bonnie's crying towel when things get unbearable for Bon-Bon at home. And by the way, Bonnie isn't that bad if you get her one on one or by yourself with Tara and no one else is around. That is—unless your name is Kim Possible. Those two really do not like each other. Tara says it's because they're so much alike. And she's the first person all the other cheerleaders go to when they're dealing with a problem—not Kim and certainly not Bonnie."

"So…when did you find out that you're going to be a daddy?" Felix asked.

"Tara told me she was spotting a couple of weeks after we started…you know… "

"Yeah." Felix nodded his head, motioning for Ron to continue.

"Then she told me she started having cramps and it was nowhere near her time of the month. Then when we were together a couple of nights ago…well…let's just say her breasts have gotten very sensitive and she's gotten a little bigger in the bust. That's when I went to the drugstore and bought the kit. One trip to the bathroom, she peed on the stick, and we found out."

"The question is…when do you break the news to Kim?" Felix asked, "Before or after you hash everything else out? Either way it's going to be rough. But it's going to come out sooner or later…definitely in a few months it will when Tara begins showing."

"Yeah." Ron shook his head and sighed as he fidgeted with his engagement ring. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see how things turn out on Friday." Shaking his head, Ron commented to his friend as they entered the classroom, "You know, Felix, Kim looks so worn out now. I've seen her happy…sad…hurt…angry…disappointed…but, this is the first time I've ever seen her look defeated."

_**Possible Home—that evening**_

"How did it go with Ron today?" Ann asked as their daughter came home from school.

Shaking her head, Kim replied in a solemn tone. "I don't know…"

"You two still haven't patched things up, Kimmie-cub?" James asked, his face etched with concern for his oldest child.

"No Dad." Kim's eyes moistened. "We're going to talk on Friday at Edna's—you know, the all night diner? Since Bueno Nachos closed, everyone's been going there now." As their daughter rambled, her parents listened patiently. "Mom…Dad…I just want to make things right between us again. I don't care about not being able to go on missions—not anymore. I just miss being with Ron."

Shifting about uncomfortably in his seat, James tried the best he could to comfort his daughter. "Darling…it's going to take time…and…I'm not sure you'll be able to get things back the way they were between the two of you."

"I…I think I know that." Kim reluctantly admitted, "I have a feeling he's seeing Tara now. She's going to be there when we talk along with Monique and if Monique's there, then I have a feeling Felix will be too."

"That's not a bad thing, Dear." Ann commented, "It's probably a good idea to have a couple of referees to keep things from getting out of hand."

Shaking her head, Kim noted sourly, "It seems everyone's getting in our business." Then, seeing her parent's reactions, she quickly backtracked, "I'm sorry! I wasn't talking about you! It's just that it seems like the whole school's going to be there."

"It's okay, dear." Ann cooed as she hugged her daughter. "If Ron and Tara are seeing each other, it's only natural they'd want to tell you together and Felix is there as Ron's friend while Monique is there as yours. What you both don't want to have happen is for either or both of you to say or do things you might regret later. Monique, Felix, and Tara can prevent that from happening."

"Those three are probably the three most level headed people at that school." Kim agreed with a slight grin. "I guess all I can do is the best I can and hope for the best."

"That's all any of us can do, my darling." James consoled as he hugged his daughter close to him.

Watching as his daughter slowly made her way up the stairs, James sighed as his wife held his hand, "I wish we could make this easier on her. She's had her whole world shattered in less than two months."

"We all have dear." Ann replied as she squeezed her husband's hand. "All we can do now is build a new one from the ashes of the old and hope it's better than the one that got torn down."

_**Stoppable Residence—that same evening**_

"Hey, honey." Ron said as he spoke to his fiancé over the phone. "How are you and our little one doing?"

"We're both fine, baby." Tara replied as she gently patted the new life growing within her. "We wish you could be with us though. We didn't get to see much of you today."

"I know." Ron sighed, "We get to make up for it tomorrow though—we've got chem together, not to mention Barkin's history class."

"Yeah. We need our Ron-shine." Tara chuckled, gazing at her engagement ring before inquiring, all traces of laughter now gone from her voice, "Did you talk to Kim?"

"I told her we'd see her at Edna's on Friday—like we agreed." Ron replied. "Felix and Monique will be there too."

"Good." Tara sighed in relief. "It's going to be a long week baby. I finished the eulogy and had Reverend Clarke look it over. He said Josh and the girls would have liked it. And don't forget…we've got an appointment with Dr. Gunderson on Thursday. I've already cleared it with Barkin so we're excused. Oh…and if he hasn't told you yet, count on him telling you tomorrow. He wants to see you in his office. I think you're going to get the 'It's time to man up' talk from him although I've told him you already are—manning up, that is—and then some."

"Don't worry, honey. I'll be with you every step of the way. I can survive Barkin and I can't wait to see baby's first ultrasound. And the Rev is right. Josh, Crystal, and Liz would have loved it and I know that they'll be there with us tomorrow."

"I miss them, Ron." Tara said with a slight whimper, "You should have seen Crystal and Liz together when no one was looking. They were so much in love with each other. And poor Josh. He never really got over Kim dumping him the way she did. I know she was your best friend and all, Ron…well…you know what she did to him."

"Yeah, Hon." Ron said in soft voice, "That was uncalled for. Josh deserved better that what he got."

"Eight times out of ten she's as nice as everyone says she is." Tara commented, "But…she's got a mean streak that's in its way as bad as Bonnie's and every now and then it comes out—like with Josh."

"You're not telling me anything I don't already know, baby." Ron replied. "I've seen that mean streak and felt it when it was directed at me. She can be incredibly kind and loving one moment and in the blink of eye she can turn into something that makes Shego look like an angel."

"Well…" Tara growled, "I have a feeling that neither Shego nor Drakken are seeing any angels where they are right now."

"Yeah." Ron agreed, "I hope the fire's extra hot where they're at." After a moment's pause, Ron changed the subject to a lighter topic, "Did you hear that Brick got into Middleton Community?"

"No!" Tara exclaimed joyfully, "That's great! I know he's been working his butt off to get his GPA high enough. I'm glad he succeeded."

The couple talked for a couple of hours with each other, laughing and making plans for a future together with the new arrival. Then, as the hour drew late, they bid each other a sleepy good night while another teenager, a young woman with red hair, slept fitfully as she was beginning to realize that a Possible can't always do anything.


	4. Chapter 4

Deguello

Chapter 4

"Josh…Crystal…Liz…Big Mike…Vinnie…Joey…" Kim recited the names of her fallen friends sadly as she shook her head. "And so many others…all gone now. All because I wanted my special night."

"You're being too hard on yourself, Kim." Monique consoled as the pair paused in front of their lockers. "You couldn't have known what those two lunatics were going to do. Want to blame someone—blame them. So…" Monique asked, pointing to the garment bag in her best friend's hand, "Planning on changing here for the funeral?"

"Yeah." Kim nodded her head. "Easier than going home, then going to the church. I'm glad Mr. Barkin's giving us an extra hour beyond the early release time."

"I think it's hit him a lot harder than he's letting on." Monique commented, "Don't tell anyone I said this, but I believed he kinda liked Big Mike and the other detention regulars."

"He did." Kim's lips turned up in a sad smile. "Whenever Joey said something stupid or Big Mike threatened to flatten Vinnie, a little smile would appear on Mr. Barkin's face when he believed no one was looking. Even though I hated detention and have made it a point to never go back, I gotta admit, those boys and Mr. Barkin looked out for each other. Kinda like me and…" The lovely redhead paused, unable to finish her sentence. "I wish…"

"Yeah." Monique heaved a mournful sigh as she recalled her part in the events that led to Kim and Ron's estrangement, "I know."

"You feeling okay, baby?" Ron asked as he helped his fiancé up the stairs to the front entrance to the school. "I know it's going to be a rough day today…"

"I'm doing fine, honey." Tara replied with an indulgent smile to the father-to-be. "I feel like Josh and Crystal and Liz are with us now." She said as the couple walked down the hall, holding hands. "I can see Josh at his locker talking to Phil and Scotty about a new piece he was working on and there's Crystal and Liz…" She took the tissue offered to her by the young man walking next to her and wiped the tears from her eyes, "They're whispering and making plans for after the game." The lovely blonde suddenly gulped. "Oh boy…here we go…"

"Morning sickness?" Ron asked as Tara nodded her head in assent her hand covering her mouth.

"I'll clear you a path." He exclaimed as he took the lead crying out as he dashed ahead of Tara, clearing the way for her, "Gangway! Sick girl incoming! Clear out!"

"What the hell?" Kim, hearing Ron's shout, felt her heart leap for a moment as she imagined that the old Ron had returned as she saw people clearing the hallway for him and the blonde girl behind him as they dashed for the girl's room.

Reaching the restroom, Tara darted in with her hand over her mouth.

"I got her, Ron." Monique said as she opened the door to the restroom.

"You need me to help out?" Kim asked with a worried look on her face.

"It's okay." Monique replied with a warm grin as she entered the restroom, "I can take care of it. But thanks GF."

As the door closed, Kim turned to Ron and inquired in a concerned tone of voice, "Is she going to be okay, Ron?"

"Yeah." Ron answered back, giving his old friend a slight grin. "She'll be all right."

"Okay…" Kim drawled, feeling a little better at seeing her old friend actually smiling at her, no matter how briefly. "Ummm…how are the two of you doing?"

"We're fine, Kim." Ron replied. "Like I said, she's just feeling a little sick."

"Sooooo…" Fidgeting, Kim tentatively inquired, "How long have you two….uhhhh…"

"Since the Incident." Ron answered back.

"I see." Kim replied in a soft voice as Monique's soothing words could barely be heard through the door.

"You okay, girlfriend?" Monique asked as she helped Tara clean up the area around the toilet.

"Yeah." The blonde cheerleader responded with a smile. "Ron's got my emergency bag with water, soda crackers, vitamins, and trail mix. So I'm all set."

"You got that man of yours trained good." Monique chuckled.

"That man is full of surprises." Tara said as she made her way to the sink and freshened herself up. "You should have seen what he got me and…" The lovely blonde patted her belly softly as her lips turned up in a gentle smile. "I'll show it to you next time you come by the house."

"Can't wait." Monique replied as the two girls exited the restroom.

"Feeling better, honey?" Ron asked as he opened Tara's emergency bag and fished out a bottle of water and package of soda crackers. "Here you go."

"Thanks, baby." Tara said with smile as she took a sip of water and then opened up the crackers and nibbled on them, alternating bites with sips of water.

"You sure you're going to be okay?" Kim asked, "If you want…we can go to the nurse?"

"I'll be fine, Kim." Tara smiled back at the cheerleader captain, "It's just a little nausea."

"Okay…" Kim nodded her head, "But if you need me for anything…"

"I promise, you'll be the first to know." Tara swore as Monique and the redhead walked away to their classes. Turning to her fiancé, she opined, "You know…Kim's no dummy. Sooner or later she's going to figure out that the reason why I'm puking is morning sickness."

"I know." Ron nodded his head as the couple walked to their next class, chemistry. "Hopefully, we can keep it 'til Friday, but no earlier than after the funeral though."

"Yeah." Tara nodded her head, "You're right. We don't need the drama of Kim finding out right now on top of everything else. It'll keep. Now…come on. We need to get that lab done today if you're going to get a B."

"Yes, Miss King…"

"Soon to be Mrs. Stoppable to you, young man." Tara chuckled as Ron replied with a simple "Yes, Ma'am.".

"Stoppable!" The unmistakable voice of Mr. Barkin rang through the hall. "My office—Now!"

"Better go, honey." Tara whispered as she gave her fiancé a quick peck on the cheek, "I'm sure Mr. Beaker will give us extra time to finish the lab."

Smiling at his future wife, Ron gently patted her belly, "See you and Junior soon."

"Have a seat, Stoppable." Mr. Barkin commanded as he leaned over his desk. "Do you know why I've called you in here?"

"I'm guessing it's to give me the 'it's time to man up speech.'" Ron replied as he sat down in one of the chairs on the other side of the desk.

"I can do without your smart mouth, young man." The Vice-Principal growled, "As a matter of fact, that's not what I want to talk to you about." He said as Ron swore he heard a note of warmth creep into the stern teacher's voice. "From what I've seen and from what that lady of yours has told me, you're already doing that. No…" Barkin said, sitting down at his desk, "What I wanted to know is what are your plans for getting through the upcoming school year and beyond. It's not going to be easy caring for Ms. King and later on a baby and go to school How are you going to manage? And what are your future goals? Have you given those matters any thought?"

"As a matter of fact, sir." Ron replied, "We have. We're getting married once we turn eighteen which should be early next year, before the baby's born. My parents have said that we can move into my room and set up a nursery in the guest room. As far as school goes, both they and Tara's parents have agreed to help us care for the baby while we're at school."

"What about if they can't sit for you?" Barkin inquired.

"Then one of us will have to miss a day." Ron responded bluntly.

"No you won't." Barkin declared, "You'll bring your baby here and we'll make arrangements for the two of you to take care of him or her and don't worry about how. We'll work that out when the time comes."

"Thank you, Sir." Ron replied in a tone of genuine gratitude.

"Have you thought about how you're going to support a wife and child?" The vice-principal inquired.

"Yes, Sir." Ron nodded his head. "I just got a job at SmartyMart. It doesn't pay much, but it'll be enough for the essentials. Also, once I turn eighteen, I get limited access to my Nacos royalty trust fund. I have to wait until I'm twenty-one to get full access." He explained, "That'll be enough to get us through senior year."

"And after?"

"I have the full-ride scholarship the President promised." Ron declared, "We're planning on attending Middleton State where I intend to study business management with an emphasis on hotel and restaurant management and Tara's planning on getting her teaching certificate. Middleton State also has on campus married housing and day care. Also, once we get our AAs, we can substitute teach…"

"Heaven knows we need more teachers." Barkin sighed, "I'm stretched almost to the breaking point here. It seems we can never get regular full time staff. Hopefully, once your wife-to-be gets her certificate, she'll consider coming back and teaching here."

"As a matter of fact, Sir…" Ron grinned, "She is."

"Good." Barkin actually smiled. He then asked, "I know it's none of my business, but have you thought about names for your child?"

"As a matter of fact, Sir." Ron's grin grew wider, "We've already chosen the names." He then took out a piece of paper and pencil and, after writing down the names, handed the paper to the principal. "We'd appreciate it, Sir, if you keep it just between us. We don't want anyone else to know until the baby's born."

Glancing down at the names on the paper, an actual tear appeared on the stern vice-principal's face as he looked at the pictures of those students, the frames of the pictures trimmed in black crepe, who had died in the chaos unleashed by Drakken and Shego. "I think they'd be pleased at those names Mr. Stoppable. It looks like you're on top of things—Ron." He said as he extended his hand to the younger man. "Now get to class, I've already cleared it with Mr. Beaker where you and Tara will be able to complete your lab and receive full credit."

"Thank you, Sir." Ron exclaimed as he shook Barkin's hand. "I better get going. Thanks again."

_**Middleton Presbyterian Church**_

"We are gathered here today to remember those we lost that horrible May night…" Reverend Clarke announced from the pulpit of the Middleton Presbyterian Church. He then offered a brief prayer and very short sermon. He was then followed by Father Xavier Suarez of St. Theresa's who also offered a prayer and homily. Then Rabbi Katz took the pulpit, followed by Imam Mohammed Faisal, and then a Buddhist priest. After the different clerics had all had their turn, Reverend Clarke again stood behind the pulpit. "Mr. Barkin, the acting Vice-Principal of Middleton High, will now say a few words."

The brawny former Marine took his place behind the pulpit and spoke a surprisingly elegant and moving eulogy for Big Mike, Vinnie, and Joey, sprinkling in small bits of gentle humor at some of the reasons for their being regulars in D-12 with him after school. By the end of the eulogy, the stern principal's eyes moistened, causing him to pause momentarily. "Boys, I know you're sitting in that big detention room in the sky waiting for me to join you. If you would, please put in a good word with the Principal up there for me. Thanks and one day, we'll all be together again."

As Kim listened to Mr. Barkin's surprisingly moving eulogy, she found herself wiping tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry…" She whispered to Monique, "I've been doing a lot of that recently. Crying that is."

"It's okay, GF." Monique replied as she wiped away tears of her own. "We all have."

The Reverend then introduced Tara who first spoke of Josh and his love for art and music. She spoke of his skill playing the guitar and the gentleness of his soul. She then spoke of her fellow cheerleaders, Crystal and Liz, and their love for each other and their anticipation at celebrating their one year anniversary as a couple. As she spoke, the cheerleaders in the audience all began to openly weep, especially Kim and Bonnie. And throughout her eulogy, whenever she needed to draw strength to continue, Tara would look down at her fiancé who would look up to her, giving her his strength and silent encouragement to continue. Her eulogy coming to an end, the blonde cheerleader concluded, "I will never forget you Liz, Crystal, Josh. You made our lives a little brighter with your love and gentleness."

The ceremony coming to an end, the Reverend led the audience and choir in a brief hymn as the gathering slowly filed out of the church. As she made her way out of the church with her friend, Kim said in a soft tone, "I never realized…but this gives everything a sense of I don't know…finality?"

"It's supposed to, GF." Monique replied, "Funerals are for the living to give us closure as much as they are to honor the dead. Josh and the girls would want us to move on. They wouldn't want us to be mired in the past. Right?"

"Yeah." Kim sighed, "I guess so. I just wish…"

"Don't go down that path, girlfriend." Monique advised. "Dwelling on the past won't do you or anyone else any good. You can't change what's already been done. All you can do is learn from it and move on."

"I know." Kim replied with a groan. "But that's easier said than done."

_**Possible Home that Evening**_

"Hi dear." Ann smiled as she greeted her daughter. "How did everything go today?"

"Okay." Kim replied in a dull voice, shrugging her shoulders.

"Are you sure, dear?" Ann asked as she sat down next to her daughter, wrapping her in a gentle embrace with her arm. "You don't look okay. What happened?"

Kim moaned as she leaned into her mother's embrace. "The funeral was beautiful. Mr. Barkin talked about Big Mike and the others and how much he missed them. Then Tara got up and gave the most beautiful eulogy for Josh and the girls. Momma…" Kim sobbed, "When she was talking about Josh and Crystal and Liz, the only thing I could think about was how little I really knew them. I went out with Josh for nearly a year and never knew he liked Italian ices. I didn't even pick up on Crystal and Liz until I found out after they were killed and I saw them every day at school and cheerleader practice. We went to each other's homes, had sleepovers, travelled together, and I had no idea they were in love with each other!"

"From what you've told me hardly anyone knew anything about their relationship dear." Ann consoled. "They seemed to have wanted to keep it quiet. Probably to avoid making you and the other cheerleaders nervous."

"Why hide it from me?" Kim asked, "I wouldn't have had any problems with them going out with each other. I'd have been happy for them."

"I know, honey." Ann hugged her daughter close, "And I'm proud of you because of that. But would all the other cheerleaders have felt that way? We know Tara knew and supported them."

"Yeah." Kim nodded her head, "She helped them keep it a secret."

"How would the other girls have felt? Hope? Marcella? Jessica?"

"I don't know." Kim admitted.

"Bonnie?"

"Oh." Kim exclaimed and then pondered the question for several moments before answering, "She probably would have gotten hung up over the food chain and how bad it made the rest of us look once people discovered that Crystal and Liz were going out with each other. And the others would have…"

"With the exception of Tara followed Bonnie's lead." Ann finished as Kim weakly nodded her head. "And the rest of the school?"

"Some…most of the jocks would have made fun of them…called them names…" Kim sighed. "It would have been brutal for them."

"Now you see why." Ann declared and then prompted, "But I get the feeling there's something else bothering you."

"Yeah." Kim nodded her head, "I'm worried about what's going to happen when me and Ron talk on Friday. It kinda scares me. What if he tells me he hates me and doesn't want anything to do with me anymore?"

"He doesn't hate you dear, and he's not going to cut you out of his life." Ann consoled, holding her daughter closer to her. "But, you've got to understand that things have changed between the two of you and that you're not going to be able to go back to the way things were."

"I know." Kim sighed, "It's just not that easy for me to accept it." Hugging her mother closer to her, she sobbed, "I miss my best friend."

"I know, dear…I know…" Ann cooed as she gently patted her daughter on the back.

_**Dr. Gunderson's Office, Thurs. Morning**_

"Hello, Mrs. King." Ron said in a shy voice as he greeted the mother of his fiancé in the doctor's waiting room.

"Hi Mom." Tara smiled as she gave her mother a hug.

"Hi Sweetie…" Helena King smiled as she gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek. "Ron." The middle-aged woman, her blonde hair now with a touch of grey, nodded her head, giving the father of her daughter's child a polite, yet guarded greeting. "I've already check you in, darling. Doc Gunderson should be ready for us soon."

"Thanks, Mom." Tara replied as she held Ron's hand, the gesture a silent signal to her mother that the young man standing next to her would be party to everything involving her and their baby.

"Ms. King?" The nurse called out. "The doctor will see you now."

"Hello Tara." Dr. Gunderson, a fair-skinned woman in her mid-thirties with short brown hair and a brilliant smile, greeted the mother to be and her family. "Let's get started, shall we? I've got the results of your lab work in and so far—so good. How have you been feeling?"

"Pretty good, Doc." Tara replied, "Morning sickness."

"How bad?"

"It gets pretty heavy." The young blonde admitted.

"Any new medications or conditions?"

"Hmmm…no." Tara shook her head.

"No bleeding or cramping?"

"Some cramping when I sneeze or suddenly switch positions." Tara replied.

"That's okay." Dr. Gunderson answered back in a reassuring voice, "That's perfectly normal."

"I'd like to do a pap smear, cervical exam, and ultrasound." The doctor stated as the nurse readied the instruments.

"Okay, Doc." Tara smiled, "You're the boss."

Turning to the others in the room, Dr. Gunderson requested, "Would you two please wait in the outer office."

"Sure." Ron nodded his head as he and Tara's mother exited.

"Okay, Tara." The doctor smiled, "We'll get this over with as soon as possible."

As the door closed behind Ron and Tara's mother, Ron said apologetically, "Mrs. King…I know this isn't what you wanted for your daughter, but I promise you…"

Holding up her hand, Helena interrupted the young man, "Ron. I'm not going to lie to you. You're right. I wish circumstances had been different. Nothing against you—you're a fine young man and you're taking good care of my little girl and me and Mr. King are happy to have you in our family. It's just that we wish…"

"You could have gotten to know me better first and that this wouldn't have happened for a few more years yet." Ron nodded his head as Helena signaled her agreement. "My parents told me much the same thing. I promise you, Ma'am, I'm going to take good care of your daughter." Chuckling, he amended, "Even though as often as not, she's the one taking care of me."

"Young man." Helena's lips turned up in a slight smile, "You've already found out what all of Tara's previous boyfriends never could—that there's a lot more to my little girl than people think."

"You can come in now." The nurse called out.

As mother and future son-in-law entered the examining room, Tara, her lips turned up in a brilliant grin, exclaimed before the doctor could even get a word out, "We're having twins!"

"Twins?" Ron, mouth agape and eyes wide open, gasped in utter surprise.

"Twins?" Helena gulped.

"Twins." The doctor declared, adding, "We won't know if they're identical or fraternal for a while yet—at the earliest her next scheduled exam. That's when we should also be able to determine their genders."

"Wow." Ron exclaimed as his open mouth slowly was replaced by an expression of awe. "Wow."

"Yeah." Tara giggled.

"You're going to have to take it easy—no more cheerleading or other strenuous exercise—I'll write an excuse to your coach, but I want you walking and continuing with a light exercise program." The doctor ordered. "Also, shoot for about six hundred calories a day." The doctor ordered, "I'm going to refer you to a nutritionist—Dr. Flagler. He'll set you up on an appropriate diet. As for the morning sickness—it's usual for you to have heavier morning sickness than for a single birth, so don't worry too much about that. Let me know if it gets really bad though. I'm going to want to see you more frequently too. Drink lots of water—I want you to stay hydrated. The nurse will have some instructions and brochures for you three to read and you might want to pass them on to others in your families to read as well."

"Thanks, Doctor." Tara said as she took the brochures and glanced at them.

"Well…if there's nothing else, the receptionist will set you up with your next appointment. Take it easy and if anything comes up or you have any questions—let us know."

After scheduling the next appointment and exiting the office, Ron gave his fiancé a kiss on her cheek "I've got to get to the SmartyMart. My shift begins in thirty. See you at my house tonight?"

"Yeah, honey." Tara replied as she returned Ron's kiss. "Mom and I are going to go shopping for maternity clothes. It won't be long and I'll be as big as a whale."

"You're a badical bondiggedty gorgeous girl no matter how big you get." Ron declared with that goofy grin of his that he once reserved for one other girl a long time and what seemed another lifetime ago.

"We'll see if you still feel that way in five months." Tara laughed, "Now…you better get going…you don't want to be late for work. I'll see you at your folks tonight."

_**Stoppable House—Thursday night**_

"Did you see the look on your Dad's face when we told him the news?" Tara giggled as she changed into her pajamas.

Ron laughed, "I thought he was going to faint for a moment."

"Just like you almost did." Tara chuckled, then, her laughter fading, she pointed out, "You know…it's not going to be easy. I was reading the brochures, I gotta admit honey, I'm a little scared."

"Hey, baby…" Ron said in a gentle voice as he guided his fiancé to the bed and hugged her gently, "I am too. But we're gonna be okay—all four of us. The twins are gonna have a great momma…"

"And a great daddy." Tara smiled as she gave her fiancé a kiss on the lips.

"And a whole lot of love." Ron whispered as he gently patted his future wife's belly.

Yawning, Tara got up from the bed and folded down the sheets. "We better go on to bed, honey. We've got a long day tomorrow."

"Yeah." Ron nodded his head as he slipped into bed next to his fiancé, "I'm not sure how it's going to go with Kim tomorrow."

"It'll be okay, Ron." Tara cooed gently, "I think she's sincere in wanting to fix things."

"I hope so. I'd like for things to get better between us. They can never be like they were." He declared, "But I'd still like for us to be friends."

"I would too." Tara replied, "I'd like for the twins to have an Aunt Kim."

"Well…hopefully everything will work out." Ron whispered as he kissed Tara, "Good night."

"Good night."

As she looked out her window at the two silhouettes in her old friend's bedroom, Kim sighed, "I'm sorry I fouled everything up with us, Ron, but I'm glad you've found someone who makes you happy. I just wish it could have been me."

_Is Kim suffering from clinical depression? Yes, she is. Will she bounce back? Well, she's a strong woman with a loving family and good friends. Will it be easy? No, but never count a Possible out._


	5. Chapter 5

El Deguello

Chapter 5

"This thing's been a part of my life for three years now." Tara King, carrying her cheerleader's uniform in a bag, said to her fiancé, Ron Stoppable as the pair entered the high school, acknowledging Mr. Barkin's grunted hello and slight head nod with smiles and cheery hellos.

"I remember the first time I saw you in that uniform." Ron reminisced with a warm grin on his face. "It was middle school and Kim still had her braces and ponytail. She was trying out and you and Hope were judging along with Bonnie." Chuckling, he recalled, "She was so nervous—believe it or not—so she asked me to come with her."

"Yeah." Tara laughed, "I can't imagine Kim being nervous about anything."

"Oh, yeah." Ron laughed a sad laugh, "She puts up this always positive face, but inside…that's a different story. You should have seen her crushing on Josh." As unpleasant memories of being locked in the closet for a weekend flooded back in his mind, Tara took his hand in hers.

"It's okay, honey. That was the past…think of now and the future." Tara smiled warmly as she gently caressed her fiance's cheek. "And…don't worry about remembering all the good times the two of you shared with each other. I promise, I'm not going to get jealous."

"Thanks for being so understanding, Tara." Ron smiled at his fiancé as he returned her caress with one of his own. "Kim was a big part of my life for a long time—really too big a part as I found out before the prom. My obsession with her kinda blinded me to someone wonderful who was right under my nose the entire time."

"Well, what counts is that in the end we got it together." Tara smiled as the pair came to an intersection. "Well…I've got to get on to the gym and see Coach Starr and you need to get on to class." She then gave her fiancé a quick peck on the cheek, "I'll see you at lunch, honey."

"Later, baby." Ron smiled as he returned his bride-to-be's peck with one of his own. "Better hurry. You don't want to be late either."

Entering the cheerleading coach's office, Tara cleared her throat, "Coach Starr?"

"Yes, Ms. King?" The coach, a former Middleton High cheerleader ten years ago, replied as she looked up from her desk, "What can I do for you."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Starr, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to quit cheerleading for senior year. Here's a note from my doctor explaining everything."

Taking the note, the coach read it, her eyes widening as she read the reason for one of her best cheerleaders having to leave the team. "Twins?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Tara replied, unable to keep the smile from appearing on her face.

"Stoppable's the father?"

"Yes, Ma'am. We're getting married in a few months once we both turn eighteen."

"I see." The coach, with a smile on her face, made a proposition, "I hate to lose you Tara. You're a vital part of our cheerleading team's success." The coach paused as she took a tissue and wiped the tears from her eyes, "The loss of Liz and Crystal and now you means that we're going to have to bring in more young freshmen to our first team roster. I'd like to make an offer to you that I think you'll like. It will allow you to continue to participate with your friends while not endangering your pregnancy. And, it will count as an extracurricular."

"I'd like that, Coach." Tara smiled. "I've enjoyed being with the squad."

"I'd like to offer you the position of student coach. You'll work with the cheerleaders—especially the young freshmen we're bringing in."

"Are you sure I'm qualified to do this?" Tara asked, "Wouldn't Kim or Bonnie be a better choice? They're been cheerleaders just as long and everyone looks up to them."

"The other cheerleaders look up to you, Tara." The coach replied. "Yes, both Bonnie and Kim are excellent cheerleaders and yes, they are more athletic than you are. But you have far better interpersonal skills than either one of them. Also, you're far more patient with younger students than those two. Kim's a perfectionist, but what she often forgets is that the perfect is often the enemy of the good. How often has she had you repeat a routine over and over again over a slight error that no one, not even a competition judge, would catch? As for Bonnie…" The coach shook her head, "Putting her in charge would be a nightmare. Yes, she's a hard worker—when she wants to be—and if anything, she's even more graceful and athletic than Kim. But while Kim does make sure that all of you share in the spotlight, Bonnie would hog it all to herself. And that's a recipe for disaster. No…for a position like this which relies more on interpersonal skills than athletic ability, you would be ideal. So…interested?"

"Yes!" Tara exclaimed with a big smile on her face, "Yes! Very much! Thank you!"

"You're welcome." The coach responded with a smile of her own, "You have no idea how much this helps me out. Oh…" She kept her smile on her face as she inclined her head at the uniform on her desk, "You can keep the uniform. Think of it as a keepsake—maybe one day, if one or both of your babies is a girl, she might wear it."

"Thank you, so much!" Tara squealed as she wiped tears of joy from her face, "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Tara. Now…" The cheerleading coach grinned, "Here's a note in case you miss the tardy bell. Take care of yourself and those little ones."

"Guess who's the newest student coach for the Middleton cheerleading squad!" Tara exclaimed with a broad smile on her face as she sat down at the same table where her fiancé and his best friend, Felix Renton, was sitting.

"Just a guess, mind you…" Felix chuckled as Tara took out her lunch that she fixed at home, "…but would that coach happen to be you?"

"Yep!" Tara grinned as her fiancé congratulated her.

"Way to go, Tara! I know how important the squad is to you and I'm happy you're able to continue with them."

"Damn, Tara!" Bonnie Rockwaller exclaimed as she joined her old friend at the table, "What did you do? Buy out the supermarket?"

"I'm eating for three now, Bonnie." Tara grinned smugly and then bit into her sandwich.

"Three?" Bonnie's eyes widened, "Does that mean what I think it means?" As her best friend nodded her head up and down vigorously, Bonnie couldn't help but smile, "You're pregnant…with twins?"

"Twins?" Felix exclaimed.

"Twins!" Tara cried out in joy as those at the nearby tables began either clapping or talking excitedly among themselves. "We're having twins!"

"You're pregnant?"

Turning her head in the direction of the forlorn voice, Tara saw Kim with her friend Monique standing there, tray in hand, with a look of shock and surprise on her face. "That's why you've been throwing up all the time—morning sickness."

"Yeah." Tara replied, nodding her head. "We found out I was having twins yesterday at my doctor's appointment."

"I'm sorry, Kim." Ron explained, "We weren't trying to keep it from you or anything. Until today, the only ones who knew were Monique, Felix, and Mr. Barkin."

"That explains why you didn't want me helping Tara in the restroom." Kim declared accusingly, speaking to the chocolate-skinned woman standing beside her.

"I'm sorry, GF." Monique apologized, "Like Ron said, they were keeping it on the down-low until after the funeral and everyone had a chance to grieve."

"We were planning on telling you after school at Edna's Kim…" Ron explained.

"No, Ron…it's okay. No big. Really" Kim interrupted. "You don't owe me an explanation. I'm happy for you two. So…twins?"

"Yeah." Ron's lips turned up in a warm smile. "It took both me and Tara's mother by surprise when the doctor told us."

"Wow." Kim gasped, "So…have you picked names yet?"

"We have." Tara answered back, "But we want to keep them secret until after they're born."

"Well…I'm happy for you both." Kim said in a sincere tone of voice. "If you need anything or if there's anything I can do…"

"Thanks, Kim. We'll let you know." Ron replied as Kim silently walked away, sitting down at an empty table.

"Sorry guys…" Monique apologized, "But I gotta…"

"Go ahead, Mon." Tara gently urged, "She needs you."

"Yeah." Ron agreed, "We'll see you after school."

"Wow…twins." Kim gasped as Monique sat at the table on the other side of her friend. "Who'd have thunk it."

"I know." Monique smiled warmly at her friend, noticing her moist eyes and quivering lips. "You okay, honey?"

"Yeah." Kim replied, "No. I don't know. Things have changed so much. I feel like…"

"Your whole world has been uprooted and there's not a damned thing you can do about it?" Monique interjected, completing the redhead's thoughts.

"Yeah." Kim nodded her head. "I'm used to always being on top of everything. But now…I feel like everything's spinning out of control and there's nothing I can do to fix it."

"That's life, girlfriend." Monique declared. "Sometimes stuff happens that's totally out of our control. All we can do then is roll with the punches and do what our head and heart tells us is right and hope for the best."

Kim looked glumly down at her food as she remembered her last conversation with Ron before the prom and then choosing to go to the prom with Eric. "Sometimes, when you follow your heart, you choose wrong."

"Welcome to the ranks of us mortals, girlfriend…" Monique gently chided, placing a hand on the back of her friend's as the bell rang.

_**Edna's—after school**_

Exiting her car, Kim took a deep breath and squared her shoulders as she made her way to the entrance of the diner. While it was a hangout for college students and some high school students like Tara, Liz, and Crystal favored it over Bueno Nacho, Kim had rarely been there. As she opened the door, the young redhead quickly spotted her former best friend with his fiancé seated next to him, joined by Monique, Felix, and Zita.

"Over here, Kim!" Felix called out. "We've saved a place for you."

"You should try Edna's blueberry pie." Tara suggested before taking a bite of pie. "It's really very good."

"Yeah." Ron agreed as he bit of pecan pie. "Although I like the pecan pie better."

"Heretic!" Felix exclaimed with a laugh.

"Have a seat, GF!" Monique urged as she pulled out the chair next to her.

"Thanks." Kim replied in a soft voice as she took her seat.

"So…what'll you have?"

Looking up, Kim smiled politely at the waitress. "Just some iced tea, please."

"You sure you don't want something to eat, honey?" The waitress asked solicitously.

"Yeah." Kim nodded her head, "I'm not feeling very hungry right now."

"What about you, little momma?" The waitress asked, turning her attention to Tara. "Want another piece of pie?"

"Oh…I'm so tempted." Tara answered back, "But…I better get something healthier."

"How about a small salad?" The waitress suggested.

"Sounds good, Annie." Tara grinned.

"Okay…" Annie smiled, "What about the rest of you? What can I get you?"

After the waitress had returned with everyone's order and then left, Kim queried Ron and Tara, "So…Ron told me you two got involved with each other the night of…"

"Everyone's calling it The Incident." Tara nodded her head, "Yeah…" Her lips turned up in a warm smile, "That's when we got together."

"Ummm…if you don't mind me asking…how did it happen?" Kim asked, fidgeting nervously in her seat as she asked her question.

Speaking in a low voice, Tara responded, "Are you sure you want to know everything?"

"Yes." Kim nodded her head once, "I am."

Touching her fiancé on the arm, Tara gently prompted, "Honey? Could you and Zita check on that little matter we talked about earlier?"

Picking up on his cue, Ron nodded his head as he and Zita stood up. "We have to run a quick errand. We'll be back in a bit."

As her husband-to-be walked away, Tara explained, her lips turned down into a rare frown, "I don't keep secrets from or lie to Ron. He knows you and Monique said some very bad things about him and Josh at the prom. He knows there's a lot more I haven't told him because I told him there is. He also knows that if I were to tell him those things, that it would kill any possibility of you two ever being friends again. That's why he walked away just now. It took me long enough to get over what the two of you said about Josh and the way you treated him before and after your breakup with him, Kim, and I still haven't completely forgiven you for the crap you said about Ron." As she uttered those words, Monique lowered her head and seemingly shrunk into her chair as Kim, also turning red faced, lowered her head as well. "But leaving that aside, believe it or not, I want the two of you to be friends and so does he…"

"That's all I want too." Kim vowed, "I swear."

"All right…" Tara said after taking a sip of water, "Here's how it happened from my end…"

_**The Night of the Incident—Tara's point of view**_

"And I told him that we weren't in pre-K anymore and that it was time for him to grow up, turned around, and walked away. It's time for Ron to man up and quit relying on me and other people to pick up his slack." Kim complained to a gathering of fellow prom goers at her table including her date, Eric, who was looking rather smug, Tara thought to herself; Tara and her date, Jason Morgan; Bonnie and Brick; Felix and Zita; and Monique who decided to go alone. "As far as I'm concerned…" Kim declared petulantly, "…if Ron wants to remain a perpetual ten year old, he can do so, but I'm tired of sitting at the kiddies table. Time to join the grown up world."

"About time you saw Stoppable for the loser he is." Bonnie announced approvingly, setting aside, for now, their old rivalry.

"I hate to say it, GF…" Monique declared, "But what that boy needs right now is tough love if he's not going to be a perpetual man-baby."

Zita, seeing that her boyfriend was doing a slow burn over the belittlement of his friend by two people that Ron had considered to be two of his best friends, placed a hand over Felix's hand, "Don't. You know what they say about lying down with dogs…"

"You wake up with fleas." Felix finished with a dejected sigh, "Yeah, you're right. Kim and Monique will hate themselves later for what they're saying now."

"Isn't that Mankey with Belinda Phillips?" Bonnie exclaimed as she noticed the artistically inclined Josh dancing with a relatively plain girl. "I thought the two of you were going out with each other, Tara. What happened?"

"It just didn't work out." Tara replied as she shot a quick dirty glare in the direction of Kim.

"You mean he passed up going out with a babe like you to go out with that cow?" Jason Morgan laughed.

"Really." Monique scowled, "That dress is so last year and don't even get me started on her hair."

"No one's ever accused Josh of being the sharpest knife in the drawer—if you know what I mean." Kim chuckled, "That's one of the reasons why I broke up with him. Yeah…on the outside he's cute, but I've seen brighter stumps of wood and getting him to do anything more than paint or play on that damned guitar of his was an exercise in futility. I gotta have someone who can keep up with me. Like Eric."

In a loud voice, Jason Morgan bragged to his date and Kim as he slapped Eric on the back, "I'll bet you're both glad that you two have traded up." Leering, the oafish basketball captain attempted to cop a feel of his date's thigh only to have her slap his hand.

"What did I tell you, Jason? Hands off!" Tara scowled, then deciding she had heard enough of the sniping and was sick of having to constantly fend off the clumsy moves of her date, the platinum-blonde cheerleader stood up, "Excuse me. I'm going to powder my nose."

"I'll come with." Zita offered, receiving in return a slight nod of the head from Tara.

"You want more company?" Monique offered only to be flatly refused by Zita who had immediately picked up on Tara's almost imperceptible head shake.

"No thanks…this is a private confab."

"I don't know about you, Zita…" Tara declared as she fixed her makeup at the mirror over the sink, "But I'm not going to stay here a moment longer if it means having to put up with Jason's groping, and Kim, Bonnie, and Monique's sniping at Josh and Ron. And did you notice how they spoke loud enough that Josh and his date could overhear what they were saying?"

"Yeah." Zita nodded her head as she also touched up her makeup. "The look on Josh's face when Kim said what she said…I've seen crushed before, but it looked like she ripped out his heart and stomped on it."

"It's bad enough what she said about Josh, but they only knew each other for about a year. Her and Ron were supposed to have been best friends since pre-K and I've seen Ron step up and save the day at least twice at Camp Wannaweep and he goes up against that green woman when she's way tougher and meaner than he is. Josh also told me that Ron not only saved Kim's life from one of that Drakken creep's devices, but also made sure that she had a good date with him and while he was doing it, the whole time he was crushing on her. And don't get me started on her leaving him in that damned closet for a whole weekend while we were all dancing and having a good time!"

"Sounds to me like you went to prom with the wrong date." Zita remarked sagely, "Maybe you should have asked Ron to go with you?"

"Maybe I should have." Tara conceded as a warm smile crossed her lips. "I'd have had a better time, that's for sure. But no…" She shook her head, "I wouldn't want him to hear what his best friend was saying about him a few minutes ago. That would crush him."

"Well…we were talking about blowing this disaster…why don't you go looking for him? I heard Kim mentioning something about him maybe hanging out at the Bueno Nachos headquarters. I'll rustle up Felix and we'll collar Josh and his date and all of us will arrange to meet at the BN in town." Chuckling, Zita steamrollered on, not giving her friend a chance to protest, "I know you prefer hanging out at Edna's, but Bueno Nacho is Ron's cathedral."

"Yeah." Tara giggled, "You're right. Okay…let's get the hell outta here."

"Ready to go, Felix?" Zita asked as she and Tara returned to their table.

"And how!" The young mechanical genius replied as he rolled his wheelchair away from the table.

"I'm outta here." Tara declared to her date, "Don't worry about taking me home. I'll hitch a ride back with Felix and Zita." She then turned to Zita, "You can drop me off by my house, can't you? I'll catch up with you all at BN. I'm gonna get my car and go looking for you know who."

"Not a problem." Zita replied with a smile. "When you catch up with him, tell him we'll see him there."

"Whatever, babe." Jason snorted, dismissing Tara out of hand as he leered at Melody Patterson who returned his leer with one of her own. "There's plenty more out there than a stuck up ice queen like you."

Tara then went to where Josh and his date were sitting and after a few moments conversation in which smiles were exchanged, they quickly followed the others out the door.

As her friends left the dance while Kim and Eric returned to the dance floor, Monique, left to herself, silently reviewed the recent conversation. As she heard in her mind the words that were recently said by her and her best friend, the young teen shook her head.

"Where are the others?" Kim asked as she and Eric returned from the dance floor.

"They left." Monique replied, "And I can't say as I blame them."

"Why?" Kim asked.

"It'll keep 'til later, GF." Monique replied, making a solemn vow to herself that she and Kim would discuss their conduct at the prom later, but for right now, she wasn't going to ruin her best friend's special night. "You and that boy of yours get out on the floor and have fun."

_**Now—Edna's**_

"Yeah." Kim frowned, "Not my finest hour."

"Mine either." Monique muttered in a regretful tone.

"Tara…" Kim sobbed, "If I could take back all those mean things I said, I would. If I'd have known what was going to happen just a short time later when that damned trumpet began to play, I'd have…"

Tara nodded her head, "I know. You'd have done things differently."

"But…we don't get do-overs in real life." Monique said in a soft voice as she handed her friend a tissue and then wiped her eyes with another tissue. "We gotta live with what we said and did."

Felix replied, shaking his head somberly, "All we can do is hope that we've learned from our experiences."

"Yeah." Kim nodded her head before prompting the blonde mother-to-be, "So…Felix and Zita dropped you off at your house?"

Tara nodded her head, "Right."

_**The Night of the Incident, Tara's point of view**_

"You're home early, dear." Helena King exclaimed as her daughter came in the front door, "Didn't you have a good time? And where's that boy who took you—his name was Jason, wasn't it?"

"The prom sucked!" Tara spat out as she grabbed her car keys. "Jason got drunk and was all hands, and Kim and Monique spent the entire evening bad mouthing Ron and Josh. I never should have gone."

"Where are you going?" Jack King asked as he emerged from the kitchen with a can of soda in his hand.

"If it's all right with you, Mom…Dad…I'm gonna pick up Ron…"

"Ron Stoppable?" Helena inquired with a raised eyebrow. "I thought he was involved with that Possible girl."

"No." Tara vehemently shook her head, "Kim went with that poser Eric. Like I said, she did nothing but run Ron down the entire evening. I finally got sick of it and left along with Felix, Zita, Josh, and his date. I was going to pick up Ron and we're all planning to meet up at the Bueno Nacho."

"Okay, dear." Helena nodded her head after receiving a confirming head nod from her husband, "You go on and meet up with your friends. And we're sorry you had such a bad time."

"Not your fault, Mom…Dad." Tara smiled as she hugged her parents, "I'll be back later!"

Getting into her car, Tara took off down the road, "Hope I can catch Ron at the Bueno Nacho or on the way." Seeing a forlorn looking figure walking the road alone, Tara slowed down. Quickly recognizing the unruly blond hair of the boy she was seeking, she pulled over and rolled down the passenger's side window of her car, "Ron?"

_**Now—Edna's**_

"The rest of it you know." Tara concluded as she sipped her water. "Ron told me what Drakken was going to do and I stepped on the gas to warn Josh and the others, but, one of those giant robots forced me to swerve off the road and then…we…" A warm smile came to the blonde woman's face as she blushed and patted her belly. "You can figure out the rest."

"After dropping you off, we went my folks and Zita's and told them what we were planning on doing instead of going straight there as Josh and his date did." Felix recalled. "That's probably what saved our lives."

"I stopped taking Drakken and Shego seriously." Kim confessed; her head hung low. "Every time I went up against them, I beat them, so I began treating it more like a game. I never took the time to think that it just made them more angry…more determined…and more ruthless. I had no idea they hated me that much. But…what hurts me most is…why didn't Ron come to the prom to warn me? Why did he just give up?"

"You could just ask me."

Turning quickly about, Kim saw Ron and Zita approaching. Returning to his fiance's side as Zita joined her boyfriend, Ron tilted his head to one side, "Well, Kim?"

"Okay, Ron." Kim took a deep breath, "Why didn't you come to me? I'd have believed you."

"Would you really have believed me?" Ron asked with a snort, "With Monique and Eric and Bonnie and the others all telling you to 'tell the loser to get lost', would you have really stood up to them and took that leap and believed me?"

"I don't know!" Kim cried out in anguish, "Honestly, I don't know! Maybe I would have…I'd like to think that our being friends for fourteen years would have meant something. That I would believe you because of that. Maybe I wouldn't have—there was so much going on that night and my head was filled with so much crap. I was so confused. I might not have—and I'm sorry for that." For several moments she stood whimpering as Monique rose up and, hugging her best friend, comforted her. Stifling her sobs, Kim looked up and with tearstained eyes, asked her former best friend, "Why didn't you at least try?"

Lowering his head and shaking it, Ron answered back in a somber voice, "Because I lost faith in you."

"You…lost faith in me?" Kim repeated in a hushed tone. "Why? Because of Eric?"

"Partly." Ron admitted, "But also because of other things over the years that added up over time like Wade microchipping me without my knowing anything about it and you not telling me, or you and Wade not trusting me with a Kimmunicator of my own until just before the Incident. But if I have to pick one moment where I knew we were through that would be when we had our talk at our old treehouse when you told me that we weren't in pre-K anymore…"

"Time to grow up." Kim somberly finished.

Nodding his head, Ron solemnly announced, "That was when I knew that I had lost you. That was when I began to do what you told me to do—grow up. The rest you know. Maybe you're right…maybe if I'd have taken one more chance on you, you would have believed me and maybe the Incident and everything else would have turned out different. Maybe not. We'll never know. All we have is now. I have Tara and our babies will be coming soon and I'm going to do the best I can to be a good husband and father to them." Turning to his bride-to-be, he took her hand in his. "I'm going to make mistakes, but I promise I'll always try to do the right thing."

"I want those words in our wedding vows." Tara answered back with a smile of her own as she looked up at the man she was going to marry.

"And us?" Kim asked, "Are we still friends?"

"I hope so. I want to be." Ron replied, "Like you said, fourteen years of friendship should mean something. I don't want to just throw that away."

"And I want you and Ron to be friends." Tara interjected, "And no…I'm not worried about you trying to take Ron away from me. I know that'll never happen because I trust and love Ron completely and totally."

"It took that treehouse conversation and the Incident for me to figure out what I really wanted." Ron said. "For the longest time we were friends, Kim, best friends, and even though I had very strong feelings for you, something always kept me from telling you how I felt. At first, I thought I was just too afraid of telling you…of ruining our friendship. But now…I think there was something else at work. Something I didn't realize on a conscious level. I think maybe the reason why I held back was because you were holding back." Seeing the confused look on his old friend's face, he tried to explain, "There was always a part of you that you kept locked away from me. You never completely trusted me. You kept a part of yourself walled off from me, while I left everything open to you. Tara and I don't have any walls. No barriers. No mistrust."

"That's why I'm not worried about you and Ron being friends." Tara declared.

"So…" Kim asked, managing a shaky smile, "We're still friends?"

"Yes, we're friends." Ron smiled back at his old friend, "Friends who have a lot of bridge building and fence mending to do, but friends just the same."

"It's a start." Kim answered back, her smile more confident now as she extended her hand, "To a fresh start?"

"To a fresh start." Ron smiled back, taking his old friend's hand in his and shaking it.


	6. Chapter 6

Deguello

Chapter 6

_**Possible Home**_

"Did everything go okay at the diner, honey?" Ann Possible asked as her daughter returned home. Seeing the forlorn look on the young redhead's face, Ann heaved a mournful sigh, "I guess not. Wanna talk about it?"

"No…Yeah." Kim, seeing the worry lines on her mother's face heaved a sigh of her own, "Before we talk though…where are Dad and the Tweebs? I kinda don't want us to be disturbed…"

Smiling warmly at her little girl, Ann replied, "Give me a moment, Dear. I'll take care of everything. Going into the kitchen where her husband and sons were about to dig into the pizzas James had brought home, Ann tapped her spouse on the shoulder, "Honey? Could I ask a big favor of you?"

"Sure, dear…anything." James answered back with a smile as he gave his wife a peck on the cheek.

"I think Kim had a rough talk with Ron and the others and…"

"If he's hurt my little girl…" James growled as Ann quickly placed her hand on his chest.

"Calm down, James." Ann commanded, her eyes glinting of steel. "You going off half-cocked is not going to help matters any and will probably only make the situation worse. Kim wants to talk to me, but she doesn't want you or the twins around while we're talking and I can't say as I blame her. That little display you just put on is the reason why she doesn't want you here and you know how much the twins have always liked Ron…"

"Yeah." James nodded his head, "He was like an older brother to them."

"Right." Ann nodded her head, "And they're blaming Kim for him not coming over anymore." Shaking her head, she moaned, "How many times have we had to discipline Jim and Tim for harassing Kim the past couple of weeks?"

"Too many." James nodded his head. "Remember, we had to ground them last week when they trashed her algebra textbook and her final exam was the next day." Shaking his head, he recalled, "I had to rush over to the space center and borrow Ramesh's son's copy from last year. Thankfully, they were still using the same edition this year."

"Exactly." Ann nodded her head. She then let out a breath of air. "I think I might have an idea as to what went on at that diner. I ran into Tara's mother at the market after work today and she told me."

"Told you what?" James asked.

"Tara's pregnant." Ann declared, "And Ron's the father. James…" The redheaded neurosurgeon warned as she saw her husband's eyes light up in fury, "Remember what I said about you going off half-cocked?" Seeing her boys now quietly listening, Ann debated sending them to their room, then decided that since it concerned someone who was very important to them, they needed to hear this as well.

"But…"

"Helena told me that at first her and Jack were worried and feared the worst about Ron—that he'd abandon her—but she told me they were wrong. She said that yes, her and Jack wished that it didn't happen the way it did. They would have liked the opportunity to get to know Ron better and for him and Tara to have taken their time and not gotten into this situation, but they've seen how much those two love each other and how they're dealing with the way things are. She says Ron's been with Tara every step of the way—especially the ugly and unpleasant stuff that can make or break a relationship. He's holding her hair back when she throws up. Cleaning up after. Putting up with her mood swings. Just like you did with me. He's been stepping up in every way. As for Tara, Helena says that her maternal instincts have kicked in strong and that she's going to be a helluva mother to those twins."

"Twins?" James exclaimed, mouth agape.

"Yeah." Ann's lips turned up in a wry grin. "Anyway…they're getting married in a few months."

"And Ron's parents?"

"Reacted much the same as Tara's." Ann explained, "They're letting them live in their house until they can get a place of their own. Jean was upset for a while because Rabbi Katz told her that he wouldn't officiate at their wedding because it was a mixed marriage, and that both Tara and Ron have decided that they would let the twins decide when they were ready what…if any…faith they wanted to follow." Letting out a breath of air, Ann admitted, "It took her some time to accept that. She's a bit more conservative than Dean where religion's concerned. Once she did…" A smile returned to the redheaded neurosurgeon's face, "She began to like the idea of being a grandmother. Dean's already looking forward to being called Grandpa. They've converted their guest room into a nursery and Tara's pretty much moved into Ron's room."

"When did it happen?" James asked as he slowly began to settle down and as the Tweebs continued to listen.

"The night everything went to hell." Ann replied. "When I asked her how it happened, Helena just told me to talk to my daughter. Well…that's what I intend to do. But…"

"You're not going to be able to do it with me and the kids here." James nodded his head in understanding. "I see." James shook his head, "I hope…"

"I do too, honey." Ann interrupted, giving her husband a sad smile. "Now…why don't you…

"Say no more." Dr. Possible replied as he turned to the Tweebs, commanding, "Come on boys, we're going to Jaye P. Bearymore's."

"All right! Hoosha!"

"Give us a few minutes and we'll be out of your hair, honey." James declared as he gave his wife a kiss on the cheeks.

"Thanks, darling." Ann replied as she returned her husband's kiss, "I'll tell you all about it when you get home."

After the door had safely shut behind her husband and the twins and she heard the car doors slam shut and the car drive down the driveway, Ann gently urged her daughter to the couch. "They're all gone now, honey." Ann declared with a warm smile, "We can talk."

"Mom?" Kim asked, doey eyed, "Am I a bitch?"

"Are you a what?" Ann, taken aback by her daughter's question, exclaimed.

"Am. I. A. Bitch." Kim repeated.

"No." Ann answered back forcefully, "You most certainly are not. Did Ron or anyone else call you that?"

"No." Kim shook her head, "It's just that…after everything I said and did at the prom and before, I kinda feel like I am."

"Kim." Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Ann forced herself to respond not with the answers that she wanted to give her daughter, but rather with the answers that Kim needed to hear. "You are not a bitch. Thoughtless? Selfish? Cruel? At times…yes. I'm sorry to say. But guess what—so am I. So's your father. So's Ron. Welcome to the human race, darling. What we almost always forget is that when we're being thoughtless, selfish, cruel, or mean—either intentionally or through just plain stupidity, is that karma…fate…justice…whatever…often has a way of coming back and biting us on the backside. That's probably what happened with you. Now…you want to tell me what happened?"

Sighing, Kim poured everything out. "Mom…I've never intentionally considered Ron to be just a distraction or cannon fodder on our missions and I always thought I thought of him as being a partner. Buy maybe…maybe…I was putting him down. Calling him sidekick…chewing him out for stuff like losing his trousers and being too loud. I tried to give him credit when I talk to the reporters, but they never get his name right or they just ignore him…after a while I just gave up trying and went with the flow. I never took into account that what I was saying or doing might hurt him."

"I notice you said intentionally and that you qualified your last statement with two maybe's." Ann pointed out. "One's significant enough. But two…that tells me you've…at least recently…been giving the matter a lot of thought."

"Yeah. I have." Kim nodded her head. "I never intended to consider Ron that way. But maybe…I began to think of him as being that without it being intentional. Am I making any sense?"

"You're making perfect sense, dear." Ann replied. But go on."

"I never thought that all that would just pile up and…" She shook her head, "The way I treated him when I went off on one of my crushes…"

"Did he ever say anything to you about how he felt?" Ann pointedly asked.

"No." Kim shook her head. "He never did with Josh. Even after I did that stupid stunt and locked him in the closet." She hung her head guiltily. "He was stuck there the entire weekend. Wade refused to give him a Kimmunicator and I never pressed Wade on the issue. Now, I wish I did. Him and Rufus had to drink water from the sink and all the two of them had to eat was a bit of junk food he had on him and he gave most of that to Rufus. When the janitor opened the door and found him…" She shook her head, "Mr. Barkin actually drove him home—Ron told me after he started talking to me again a couple of weeks later that Barkin gave him an excused absence for a couple of days and allowed him to make up his lost work. Barkin didn't say a word to me. I think that was the worst punishment he could have given me. All he did was give me this really disappointed look and shook his head. That was the worst I've ever felt in my life." The young redhead confessed. "I found out later from Ron's father—and believe me, that was a very unpleasant conversation—really butt-chewing because Mr. Stoppable did all the talking—that Ron had lost about five pounds and Rufus nearly died."

"Why didn't you tell me this when it happened?" Ann asked. "This is the first time I've heard about it."

"I…I was…am…ashamed of it." Kim replied. "Once Ron started talking to me again and we patched everything up…or at least I thought we did…he never talked about it again and after a while I just…"

"Memory-holed it." Ann finished, explaining further, "It's not a very pleasant memory and something you didn't want to remember, so you put it in a deep, dark corner in your mind. It's something I and all the rest of us do, dear. You're not special in that respect either, I'm sorry to say. Ron did too…he didn't want to think about it because if he did…"

"It would eat at our friendship." Kim finished as Ann nodded her head in agreement. "That's probably why Josh and I didn't go out again for some time afterwards. And then when we did go out on a real date, I would have literally died of embarrassment if it weren't for Ron." Seeing the look of compassion on her mother's face, Kim's lips turned up in a sad smile. "He came to my rescue when Drakken hit me with that embarrassment ray and I went out on that date with Josh and nearly…" Shuddering, the teen allowed her mother to embrace her, holding her closely. "After he saved my life, Ron just waved and disappeared and I finished out my date with Josh." Kim shook her head, "When I finally broke up with Josh, I'm afraid I wasn't very nice about it."

"We'll discuss that later, dear." Ann promised, "But for now, let's just concentrate on you and Ron. Did you have any idea he might have been feeling something more for you than friendship then?"

"No." Kim shook her head. "I didn't feel that way about him at the time and I don't think he felt that way about me—at least not then."

"When do you think he might have started having feelings for you that were more than friendship and when do you think you might have started having those feelings too?" Ann again probingly inquired.

"I'm not sure I can pick an exact moment." Kim confessed. "Could be when we got zapped by Drakken's moodulator ray. From what I was told, it didn't so much change your mood as enhance it. The feelings…" She blushed, "Were already there. All the ray did was bring them out more. I do know that when Ron kissed me and I made that comment about fireworks, I wasn't just talking about the fireworks going off in the sky. Maybe that scared me…scared us…because we kinda drew away from each other some after that."

"So…for a time you both tried to put it out of sight out of mind, right?" Ann inquired.

"Yeah." Kim nodded her head. "Before that though, after things fell apart with Josh, I got roped into a date with Brick…remember?"

"Yeah." Ann chuckled, "Never figured out what you saw in that boy."

"I saw absolutely nothing in him, Mom." Kim laughed. "That was all Ron's doing. He wrote that stupid story in the school paper so I'm not taking any responsibility for that one. That's all on him."

"I remember you mentioning that Tara was interested in Ron a year or so ago and that a couple of other girls were too." Ann noted, shifting away from what was obviously a sidetrack with Brick.

"Yeah." Kim nodded her head, "Tara was sending signals throughout our sophomore year, but…" Her lips turned up in a fond grin, "You know how clueless Ron is where girls are concerned."

"So…he never picked up on her interest?" Ann commented, Kim nodding in agreement, "Did you clue him in?"

"No." Kim shook her head, "When I finally did tell him, Josh had rebounded to Tara after we broke up."

"Okay…again, let's backburner what happened with Josh for now. I want to focus on Ron." Ann requested, "Why didn't you clue him in earlier. As I recall, he gave you the support you needed to approach Josh. Why didn't you do the same for him?"

"I don't know." Kim sobbed, "I think…maybe a part of me didn't want him going out with Tara. Just like I really didn't want him going out with Zita even though I acted like I supported him. I even started a betting pool with Monique on when he'd crash and burn. Another one of my not so fine moments." Kim lamented.

"No argument there." Ann replied, not sugarcoating it for her daughter. "So…do you think you deliberately sabotaged any chance of him getting together with Tara back then?"

"Deliberately, no." Kim then forced herself to admit, "Maybe…yeah. I think maybe subconsciously I wanted him all to myself. Just like I got jealous over him and Yori."

"Yori was the Japanese exchange student that was here for a while—right?" Ann asked.

Kim nodded her head, "Yeah. It ended up she was sent by Yamanouchi to keep an eye on Ron. She…was very obviously interested in him and boy was I tweaked. I was one hundred percent full hardcore jealous." She forced herself to admit, "I think Ron picked up on that because no matter how hard Yori tried, he wouldn't respond." Shaking her head, Kim confessed, "I didn't want to share him with any other girl."

"But you expected him to understand and go along with your crushes without complaint or question." Ann pointed out.

"Yeah." Kim nodded her head, "I guess that makes me a hypocrite, doesn't it?"

"Something like that." Ann acknowledged, again refusing to let her daughter off the hook this time.

"Mom…there's one thing I wish I could take back more than anything else…"

"What's that, sweetie?" Ann asked encouragingly.

"The blow up Ron and I had in the tree house a little before prom." Kim replied somberly. "Ron was trying to tell me how he felt about me, but he was too scared and I was too scared that I might have been feeling the same way and too infatuated with Eric and I was filled up with all of Bonnie's hot air about the food chain that I didn't listen. Instead, I snapped at him. I told him those dumb, stupid words that I'd do anything to take back right now. We're not in pre-K anymore…" she snorted derisively at herself, "…time to grow up. Stupid…stupid! And then I made an ass out of myself at the prom."

"How did you do that?" Ann, even though having been thoroughly informed by Helena King earlier as to what happened, inquired in an effort to force her daughter to come to grips with her words and actions.

"I said some very hateful things about Ron and Josh." Kim confessed, "Laughed at Ron. Told everyone that Drakken and Shego were right when they called him Buffoon and joked about him always losing his trousers. And then I said some very hurtful things about Josh where he and his date could hear me. I could see how they hurt him and now…he's dead. I can't tell him I'm sorry."

"Does Ron know what you said about him and Josh?" Ann asked.

"No." Kim shook her head, "Not everything. Tara told me that her and Ron don't keep secrets from each other. That she told him that I said some pretty spiteful things and that it would be better if he didn't know what they were because it would kill any chance of us staying friends. He agreed not to ask for the sake of our friendship, so, before Tara called me out on the carpet tonight, he walked off with Zita until it was safe to come back."

"Sounds like Tara's a very wise girl." Ann remarked, "Ron's lucky to have her."

"Yeah." Kim agreed. "Better off with her than with me."

"Don't." Ann exclaimed, "Don't do this to yourself. Yes, you messed up. You made mistakes. Bad ones. But then so did Ron. It takes two to create a mess like this. For a lot of different reasons, communications between you two broke down. Fear…pride…neglect…taking each other for granted. Probably a bunch of other stuff I haven't mentioned. There's plenty of that to go around. Plus…maybe the two of you spent too much time in your own little bubble for too long. That's partly mine and your father's fault as well as the Stoppables'. We should have done a better job encouraging both of you to expand your circle of friends a long time ago—while you were still back in elementary school. You didn't have a female friend that I know of until Monique that you could talk to and confide in. Ron didn't have a single male friend other than Felix and he was gone for a while before recently coming back. That might or might not have made a difference—too late to do anything about that now though."

"So…what do I do?" Kim asked.

"The one thing you can't do is wallow in in your mistakes and misery." Ann flatly replied. "If you do that, you won't have learned a damned thing from any of this. You take what you've learned. You repair any damage you can, starting with apologizing to Ron for everything you've said and done and showing him that you're wanting to make things better."

"And if he rejects me?"

"Then he rejects you." Ann grimly responded, "You walk away sadder and wiser and you learn from your mistakes. But…" Her lips turned up in a slight smile, "I don't think he's going to do that. Didn't you say that the two of you parted friends tonight and that Tara wants you all to be friends?"

"Yeah. We did. And yes, she did." Kim nodded her head and remarked thoughtfully, "You know something…I can't think of a gift I gave Ron that wasn't me paying him back for something he did for me or where I had some sort of angle behind giving it to him, but he was all the time doing stuff for me and giving me gifts without me even asking."

"Like what?" Ann, pleased at the direction of her daughter's thoughts, asked encouragingly.

"Remember that green leather jacket from Banana Republic I was pining for and that you and Dad refused to buy for me and made me get a job to buy it?" Kim continued at her mother's acknowledging smile and head nod, "Well…Ron bought it for me to cheer me up. Just like that! I didn't ask him to do it or anything. Maybe…I could do something for him and Tara…something that would help with the babies…"

"That would be very thoughtful of you, dear." Ann smiled beatifically. "I'm sure they would both appreciate it." Mother of twins herself, Ann chuckled, "Speaking from personal experience, I can tell you that she's going to need all the help she can get."

"I'm going to do that." Kim declared, "First thing tomorrow. But now…" She stood up, stretched and yawned, "I think I'm going to go to bed. Thanks, Mom. I think I needed this."

"Anytime, dear." Ann smiled back, "Good night."

_**Stoppable House**_

"I was thinking…" Ron proposed as he and Tara prepared for bed, "…that we give Kim a call tomorrow. Let her know about Project Rebuild Middleton. I think she'd like to get involved…"

"And it would be a great way to begin mending fences. We should definitely give her a call." Tara finished with a smile as she got into her pajamas. "These are starting to get tight, baby." The mother-to-be laughed, "Looks like I'm gonna have to break out the new pair a little earlier than I'd planned."

"Well…" Ron chuckled as he walked over and patted his fiance's tummy, "You've got a couple of houseguests staying over."

Laughing, Tara joked as she turned back the sheets and the couple slipped into bed, "They're definitely making themselves at home." Giving the blond young man next to her a kiss, she turned out the light. "Goodnight, Ron. Sleep tight."

"'night, Tara. Pleasant dreams."

_Ron Stoppable's Dream_

Drifting off to sleep, Ron found himself walking down a Middleton Street. After a few moments, he soon recognized it as the street where Josh Mankey lived. Looking about, the young blond quickly found a house with a driveway where a familiar figure sat strumming idly on his guitar. Approaching the slender young man, Ron waved, "Is that you, Josh?"

"Ron!" Josh Mankey grinned as he waved his friend towards him, "Come on over. I've been working on a new song. Tell me what you think." He then strummed a few chords.

"Pretty good." Ron commented as his friend played.

"I still have to work on this riff here." Josh shook his head as he strummed, then switched to another chord. "Heh…a little better. Still a bit raw though. Oh well…" He grinned, "I've got plenty of time to work on it."

"Ummm….Josh…Uhhhh…I don't quite know how to phrase this…" Ron stammered, "But aren't you kinda…"

"Dead?" Josh chuckled and nodded his head, "Yeah. That hasn't changed. But…" He shrugged his shoulders, "It's pretty good here. Crystal and Liz come and visit and I go see them and Big Mike and the Detention Gang come by too although they tend to prefer hanging out at the school. They're kinda waiting for Mr. B. That's when they say the party's really going to get started. But…I do miss seeing you and Tara and Kim and everyone else, so I'm glad you showed up. We do have to talk about a few things…"

"Like what?"

Smiling, Josh placed a hand on Ron's shoulder, "Can you do me a favor, Ron?

"Sure."

"Tell Kim when you see her, that I forgive her. Tell her not to worry, that we're okay and that we….me…Liz…Crystal…we all love her."

"I'll tell her that." Ron smiled back, "I'm sure she'd be glad to know."

"I'm also glad to see that you and Tara have begun to forgive her too." Josh remarked with a smile. His lips turned down into a worried frown, "You two need to do something else for me and promise me you'll do it."

"Of course, Josh. What is it?"

"Call Kim IMMEDIATELY. Don't waste any time. Do it the moment you wake up." Josh demanded urgently, "It's VITAL that you call her."

"Why?" Ron, suddenly concerned for his old friend, asked, pleading for an answer.

"I can't tell you why." Josh explained, "But I can tell you that her future place of residence will depend on you making that call and the choice she makes."

"I'll do it." Ron replied with solemn gravity, "The moment I wake up. I promise." His lips then turned up in a slight grin as he changed the subject, "And…I'm sorry for the Monkey comments."

"It's okay, Ron." Josh laughed. "All forgotten. And…me and the girls love the names you two picked for the babies. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Ron smiled back. "They were the first names we thought of."

"I can't tell you everything…" Josh grinned, "But I can tell you that you and Tara are going to be great parents." Turning his attention back to his guitar, Josh gave his old classmate a genial smile, "Time for me to get back to my music and for you to wake up. Don't forget, call Kim at once. A lot rides on that call."

_Tara's Dream_

As Tara drifted off to sleep, she found herself in the girl's locker room at Middleton High. Standing by their lockers, holding hands with each other as they gazed lovingly into each other's eyes were two familiar figures.

"Liz? Crystal?"

"Tara!" Both girls squealed joyfully as they rushed over and hugged their fellow cheerleader and best friend. "Let's look at you, Mommy."

"Looking good!" Liz exclaimed as she gently patted Tara's tummy. "By the way, we love the names you picked for your little ones."

"They were the first names we thought of." Tara answered back with a smile.

"They love their Aunts Liz and Crystal." Crystal cooed, "You…young lady…are gonna be a cheerleader just like your Mommy…"

"And you little man." Liz snickered, "You are going to go on and do great things as long as you can keep your pants on. Just remember your Daddy's motto…"

"Never be normal." Tara laughed. Her laughter fading, tears began to form in her eyes, "I'm sorry…"

"It's okay." Crystal smiled back at her close friend as she held her girlfriend's hand. "You see…me and Liz are together forever now."

Liz interjected, "Sure, we'd have liked to have stayed around for our senior year. We were gonna come out after the summer…"

"Yeah." Crystal nodded her head as she held her girlfriend closer to her, giving her a gentle kiss on the lips, "We wanted to go to the Homecoming Dance and Senior Prom together, but…" She shrugged her shoulders, "That's not the way it worked out."

"I'm sorry about that." Tara replied in a soft voice, "You two should have had those moments together."

"It's all right, Tara!" Liz smiled back at her friend, "Really! We're going to have our Homecoming Dance and Senior Prom here when it's time. Josh will be playing…by the way, he wanted us to tell you hello and that he's talking with Ron right now otherwise he'd be here too."

"I'm glad he's happy." Tara said in a gentle voice.

"Yeah…he's doing great." Liz reassured. "But…don't worry about us missing Homecoming or Prom down there. We're gonna have…like that husband to be of yours likes to say, a bondiggedty good time. We're gonna get Big Mike and the Detention Gang to help with the decorations. And there's Debbie—you remember her? Josh's date? She's gonna be there and so are all the other students and teachers who…well…you know."

"Not to mention all the other students who graduated up here before us." Crystal declared with a wide grin, "So…we're doing okay, Tara. We've got lots of friends and we made the cheer squad here and it's okay with everyone that we're in love with each other. We don't have to hide it from anyone or worry about what people might say. But we do have a favor to ask of you."

"Anything, girls." Tara smiled back at her friends, "You know that."

"Thanks. It's a very important favor." Liz replied, "Listen…when you wake up, you and Ron need to do something and it's crucial."

"You need to call Kim AT ONCE." Crystal urgently interjected, "It's VERY important that you call her THE MOMENT you wake up. A lot depends on you doing that and on what Kim decides to do."

"Like what?" Tara, feeling a lump forming in her throat, asked.

"Whether she'll be here with us when it's her time…" Liz replied in a soft voice.

"Or somewhere else." Crystal whispered ominously.

"We have to go now, Mommy." Liz and Crystal said as they gave their best friend hugs and kisses on the cheek. "But don't worry, we'll see you again and one day…a long time from now…we'll all be together again. But please…call Kim…" They both urged, "Our reunion won't be the same if she's not here with us."

_Kim's Dream_

"Hey, Kimmie! Over here!"

Turning her head, Kim at once spotted her old foe, Shego, seated on a chair in her room. "Shego!" The redhead growled, "You're supposed to be…"

"Dead?" The dark-haired supervillainess grinned, "Yeah. That hasn't changed any, Princess. Don't worry, what's left of me and Drew are buried together in a little cardboard box about the size of that jewelry case of yours in an unmarked grave in Potters Field. Our own damned families wouldn't claim us. We're that toxic." She spat out venomously.

"Why aren't you in…"

"Hell?" Shego laughed, "Oh…I am. Don't worry about that. I'm getting everything I've got coming to me. Every time I popped some kid's balloon. Every time I stole candy from a baby. Everything bad I did…I'm paying for it—believe me." She said with more than a note of pain and anguish in her voice. "And let me tell you, Pumpkin. It's nothing like what you might have heard about in Sunday School or church. Oh no…" The villainess shook her head, the agony in her voice growing even worse, "It's worse…so much worse. I only wish it were fire and brimstone. Then I'd be able to at least feel something real like pain."

"What…" Kim asked, her voice stammering, "What is it like?"

"Lonely." Shego answered back in a soft, haunted voice. "I think it's different for everyone, but I never see or talk to anyone. I don't see Drew or any of the others although I know they're in Hell with me. Dementor is. Did you know they dropped a bunker buster bomb on his pointy little head when he refused to surrender. They're not playing around anymore after what me and Drew did. If you don't surrender like the Senors and DNAmy did, you're dead. Monkey Fist is there too. He discovered that mystical monkey martial arts aren't good enough to dodge multiple incendiary rounds from chain guns along with fuel air explosives and cluster bomblets dropped from airplanes. He's another one of us you can put into a crackerjack box and still have room left for the prize. Jack Hench is a resident of Hell also. He got taken down by a combined US Ranger and Russian Spetsnatz team—imagine someone getting those two to work together. I imagine all of our Hells are different though I can't be sure because…like I said…I'm all alone."

"What's yours?"

"I get to see played out all the different choices I could have made. I've seen myself as a hero. I've seen myself happily married with a family. I've seen myself with friends…real friends. Do you know that in one reality I became a school teacher and married to Steve Barkin?" She sobbed, "I get to see all that and when I reach out for it…it gets snatched away and I see my arm getting blown off and then those missiles coming towards me and then it all plays back over again. Over and over and over again. The same thing…Shego fouls the nest with her bad choices. Pumpkin…you don't want to go there, but…" the supervillainess her eyes now piercing into those of the young redheads, "…depending on what you do when that phone rings, that's where you're going."

"What do you mean?" Kim demanded.

"Take my hand." Shego commanded, "We're doing a scene from 'A Christmas Carol'. I get to play the Ghost of Christmas Future and you get to play Ebenezer Scrooge. Come on…" She laughed at the teen's reluctance to take her outstretched hand, "Scared of what you might see?"

"No." Kim answered back as she took the villainess's hand.

"You should be." Shego replied as Kim's bedroom faded away to be replaced by a scene where a slightly older Kim had led a successful rescue mission against a terrorist stronghold in the Middle East.

"_The hostages are all freed and Al-Drahin and his followers dead." An attractive blond-haired man with a slight growth of beard and speaking with an English accent reported before giving the red-headed woman standing before him a passionate kiss. "We did good, love."_

_Another man, this one dark-haired and carrying a rocket launcher appeared, "We gotta move, Ms. Possible. Army patrol on the way."_

"_Time for us to scarper off, love." The Englishman declared, "We're almost as wanted as the terrorists we just killed."_

"_The payment for the hostage rescue and bounties for Al-Drahin and the other terrorists have already been deposited into our account." Wade Lode reported from the modified Kimmunicator in Kim's hand. "Geraint's right. You better go now—you've got choppers inbound."_

"This doesn't look so bad." Kim said to her spectral guide. "Team Possible's back together, I've got a hottie for a boyfriend, and we're doing good and helping people."

Her lips turned up in an evil grin, Shego replied, "Have you ever heard that old saying about the road to Hell being paved with good intentions?" Seeing Kim nod her head once, the villainess continued, "You ready to see where this road leads, Princess?"

"Lead on." Kim dared as the scene shifted, this time to a hidden bunker where Kim saw a somewhat older version of her than what she had seen earlier. This time, the older Kim looked war-weary. Her face lined and hard, a scar running down her right cheek.

"Looks like you've picked up a little souvenir, Princess." Shego mocked, "You got that from a botched raid. It was a trap set up by forces of the government you were paid to overthrow. Yep, Cupcake, your little team has gone full mercenary now—gotta pay the bills and make ends meet. And those lines on your face and that hard look—comes with making hard calls. That hottie boyfriend you saw earlier. He was one of those hard calls. You had to leave him and two others behind to cover your retreat from another failed mission. What? You thought you were gonna win 'em all? No such luck, Princess. Anyway, hope he died quick and clean and wasn't captured by those cultists. You don't want to know what they do to their prisoners before sacrificing them."

"Not so pretty a road, is it Princess. Ready to see how it ends?"

"Not really." Kim replied.

"Too bad. You're gonna see it anyway." The scene faded again to another bunker, this one an old supervillain lair. Kim, in this incarnation slightly older than in the previous vision, still with her scar, now bore an eyepatch and short hair…her long luscious locks long cut away. Standing next to her was a teenaged Wade Lode with a gun in his hand.

"Gotta love irony!" Shego laughed, "This is Drakken's Caribbean lair—where we first met, Princess. The perfect place to put a period on your little drama." A box of popcorn appeared in the villain's hands. "Let's watch. This should be fun."

"_They've refused your demands, Kim." Wade reported. "They've also stated that you have two minutes to surrender and then they'll put into effect the DeGuello Protocol." The sounds of the DeGuello then came out of the lair speakers._

"They're playing our song, Princess." Shego chuckled as she shoved a mouthful of popcorn in her mouth.

"_Turn that damned noise off!" Kim ordered as Wade moved rapidly to comply. "Begin Doomsday Sequence." The redhead called up to one of her henchmen._

"That's right, Kimmie." Shego laughed, "You went full supervillain. Every defeat…every botched raid…every life lost…ate at your soul. Now, you're an alcoholic who goes from lover to lover trying to snatch a moment's peace. Until finally…just like with Drew and me…you snapped. Guess what, they're coming for you—just like they did for us. News flash—they're not waiting the full two minutes either. Your time's up now."

"_Missiles inbound—IRBMs! MIRV warheads. They're not messing around, Kim. Those are nukes!" Wade shouted. _

"_How long until Doomsday?"_

"_One minute!" The henchman called back._

"_Not enough time, Kim." Wade exclaimed. "Impact in thirty seconds. I think some of those nukes are set to air burst. "Ten seconds…five…four…three…two…one…"_

A brilliant light exploded and then Kim found herself back in her old room in her bed with Shego sitting in the chair where she was when the dream began.

"That's what you have to look forward to Pumpkin if you make the wrong choice. Make no mistake, Kimmie…" The villainess warned, "You've got a place reserved for you in Hell if you choose wrong."

"Is that why you're here?" Kim asked, "To warn me?"

"Yeah." Shego nodded her head, "Kind of a work-release. I do stuff like this; I get the briefest of breaks from my torment and maybe…maybe…they'll knock a few centuries or millennia off my sentence for good behavior."

"Centuries or millennia?"

"It's not as much as you might think, Princess. Eternity's a long time. A century or a thousand years—the briefest of moments." Shego sighed and then, her eyes widened in fear, "No…I'm being called back. Princess…Kim…whatever you do…choose wisely. You don't want to go where I am. No…Please…Wait. Just a moment more…NoNoNoNONOOOOOOOO!"

Waking up with a start, Kim felt the moisture on her pajama bottoms and the bed. At once realizing that she had done something that she hadn't done since she was a young child, Kim pulled off her sheets and, after washing, changed into a sleep shirt. After she had changed, she heard the phone ring.

Waking up, both Tara and Ron exclaimed simultaneously, "We have to call Kim!" Handing the phone to her fiancé, Ron quickly hit the speed dial.

"Kim? This is Wade!" The dark-skinned former Team Possible techie said in an excited voice.

"Wake?" Kim stammered as she answered the phone, "Why are you calling at this hour?"

"Kim…" The techie responded his voice tone even more enthusiastic. "I've been in touch with some people. They want to reform Team Possible with you as the leader. They say that what the government did to you was wrong and they want to help you show everyone that you can be a force for good."

"When do I have to decide?" Kim asked.

"Now, I'm afraid." Wade responded. "If you agree, they'll send a VTOL to pick us up and we're gone. Kim…" The young tech cautioned, "If we go…we can't come back. Legally, we'll be wanted even though we'll be doing good. Kinda like Robin Hood, I guess."

Before she could answer, another call came through. "Wait a second, Wade." Kim apologized, "I've got a call coming in on the other line." Switching to the second line, Kim heard Ron's voice.

"Kim? It's Ron…"

"And Tara…"

"I'm sorry we woke you up." Ron apologized, "But something told us…it's a long story…we'll tell you tomorrow morning…something told us that we needed to call you as soon as possible."

"What's wrong?" Kim asked, "Is Tara okay?"

"I'm fine, Kim." Tara replied, "I'll let Ron explain."

"Have you heard of Project Rebuild Middleton?"

"No." Kim answered back.

"It's being financed by Mr. Smarty, Club Banana, and some of the other leading merchants and charities and also by the government." Ron explained, "The idea is to help people whose homes were destroyed during the Incident to rebuild and to make sure everyone who got hurt by what happened can get food, water, medical help, and so on. Besides rebuilding homes, we'll be running food distributions and meal kitchens, homeless shelters, daycare, clinics, whatever people need. We're gonna volunteer tomorrow. Felix, Monique, Mr. Barkin, even Bonnie will be there. I've also been told that Brick's coming in to help out and even Junior's taking part—it helps in fulfilling the community service portion of his probation. We could really use your help, Kim…can we count on you?"

"I guess this is where I make my choice." Kim murmured in an inaudible voice. Deciding, she said to her old friend, "When and where, Ron?"

"We'll be by your house to pick you up at eight tomorrow morning. We figure we can grab breakfast at Edna's and then be at the Civic Center by nine."

"Come here by seven and you two can join us breakfast." Kim counteroffered, "My mom's fixing her killer pancakes."

"Honey…" Tara chuckled, "You know I'm craving pancakes…"

"We'll be there!" Ron exclaimed, "But you better tell Mrs. Dr. P. to fix a lot of pancakes. My baby's eating for three now."

"I will, Ron. Good night." Kim said warmly, "And thank you." After Ron and Tara had hung up, Kim put Wade back on line, "Wade? I'm sorry. Tell your friends that I've got to say no to their offer."

"Why, Kim?" An obviously deflated Wade queried, "This would have gotten us back into the game again."

"Let's just say I got a better offer, Wade." Kim replied with a smile. "Good night." After hanging up, Kim carried out a brief debate in her mind before deciding on another course of action. Picking up the phone, she dialed a number she hadn't used in some time.

"Doctor Director? I'm sorry to have gotten you at this hour, but it's important?"

"What is it, Kim?" The obviously sleepy voice of Betty Director came through the phone's speaker.

"I need to let you know about something involving Wade." Kim replied as she outlined her earlier conversation with the young techie including the offer he made for her to join up with others in reforming Team Possible. "I turned him down, but I'm afraid that he might decide to take off on his own and I don't want him going down that path. Don't ask me why, but I have a feeling that it's going to be a bad road if he decides to go down it."

"You're right, Kim." Betty replied, "It would have been a bad road. I'll take care of it. Don't worry, nothing bad will happen to Wade except that he probably won't be permitted near any electronic devices without adult supervision until he turns eighteen. Otherwise, I promise, he won't be prosecuted or anything like that. And Kim…thanks."

Hanging up the phone, Kim turned off the light and slipped back under the sheets. She still had a long way to go, but for the first time in a long time, she felt good. Apologies still needed to be made, friendships to be mended, trust to be slowly and painfully regained. But, she felt like now she was on the right path. One day at a time. She promised herself as she slipped off into a peaceful slumber. One day at a time.


	7. Chapter 7

Deguello

Final Part

"I have to take care of something, then I'll meet you all over at Edna's." Kim said as she waved to her friends.

"Okay…" Ron and Tara waved back, "We'll save a seat for you."

"Hurry up and get done what you gotta get done, GF!" Monique hollered. "Party isn't a party without you."

She walked alone through the cemetery gates past the headstones and mausoleums, past the columbarium, to the far corner of the graveyard—the place where those that no one would or could claim were buried at state expense. She walked until she reached a certain unmarked grave, deemed unworthy of anything more than a stake with a number etched on it to identify this place as the final resting place of two twisted souls. Looking down at the gravesite, Kim Possible brushed aside a lock of red hair before speaking to the two individuals buried together in this one grave.

"Drakken…Shego. It's been a year since we heard the De Guello played. They played it tonight as a memorial to those whose lives you ended and ruined because of your hatred and bitterness at the world. But you failed. You died. We live."

"It has been a year. A year of heartache. A year of pain. A year of loss. But also a year of rebirth and renewal. You tried your best to destroy and ruin us…to destroy and ruin me. And you failed. We survived, we rebuilt our homes and lives from the ashes of the old. Oh…you hurt us…you hurt me. Badly. More than I've ever been hurt before. But we…I…endured. You didn't defeat us. You didn't defeat me."

"I just came from my senior prom. I went by myself—no Plastic Boy this time—no masks or illusions or fronts put on to impress people—just me enjoying the evening and the end of one part of my life and the beginning of another with my friends. I danced with Bonnie's date, Junior—who, by the way, is keeping to the terms of his probation while his father's doing time in a Spanish prison. Better than Dementor's or Monkey Fist's fate. I danced with Felix—he made some modifications to his wheelchair that allowed him some mobility on the dance floor. It was…different…not quite what I expected, but fun just the same."

"I even danced with Ron. Another failure of yours. You tried to destroy my friendship with Ron and yes, you damaged it—badly. True, we're not as close as we once were—our friendship bears the scars of what I did. That is something I'm going to have to live with for the rest of my life—what might have been and what could have been and what has been lost forever because you were able to take advantage of my failings. And yes, I was the one who nearly destroyed my friendship with Ron. You merely took advantage of what was already there to drive the wedge in deeper. You gave me the loaded gun, but I was the one who aimed it and pulled the trigger. But we're mending and repairing burned bridges—slowly but surely, one bridge at a time."

"Ron is making a life for himself and his family. He has a loving wife, Tara, and she recently gave birth to the cutest boy and girl. Twins. They named the boy Joshua Michael Stoppable and the girl Crystal Elizabeth Stoppable after friends of ours who were killed by your insane petty cruelty and anger at a world you felt screwed you over when you only have yourselves to blame. They let me hold them in my arms. They're so sweet. Just like their parents. You lose again. We endure. Life goes on."

"Middleton has rebuilt itself from the ashes. Bueno Nachos is gone now—or maybe not. Ron is buying the name and plans to reopen it once he and Tara graduate college Once he graduates high school, since he's married, he'll have full access to his Nacos royalties that are held in trust and with Tara's help I think he can do it. But he wants to graduate college first and Tara wants her teaching certificate, so the rebirth of the naco will have to wait for a few years."

"We're experiencing something of a baby boom in Middleton now. Births have gone up since the Incident. In a way, I guess you could say we're all giving you a giant FU. You couldn't stop us loving and caring for each other no matter how hard you tried. If there were someone special in my life now, I'd be tempted to do my part to contribute to the cause and give you my personal FU. But that's okay. I don't mind flying solo for now. I need the time to figure out who I am and what I want to do. When the time is right and I find that certain someone, then we'll see what we can do about making Mom and Dad grandparents. And as for the FU, I don't have to have a baby to give you that. FU Drakken and Shego. You lose again."

"In a couple of weeks we'll have graduation. Ron and Tara are staying in Middleton and going on to college here. Felix is going to Cal Tech. Monique is moving to the Big Apple to study fashion design. Bonnie and Junior are…well…who can say what those two will be doing. They live in their own little world and God love them for it. Mom and Dad have the Tweebs to keep them occupied for the next few years. And Mr. Barkin will have an entirely new class of incoming freshmen to terrorize shortly. He's already looking forward to it. Again, life goes on and you lose."

As for myself. I'm a year older and I hope a little wiser. I've learned the hard way to look beneath the surface and not take for granted the good things and good friends I have. I hate to say it, but I guess that was one lesson I had to learn the hard way so…I reckon I should thank you for that. It was a painful lesson to learn, but a necessary one. I'm still a work in progress, but as long as I have my family and my friends, then I hope I can continue to grow. I'm going to take a year after graduation and go to different places to help those who need it. Oh…no…I won't be battling supervillains or anything like that. I'll be helping people who still need help to rebuild their homes and lives from the wreckage you left behind. Then, after that year, I'm not sure. I might go to one of the military academies. Or I might follow in Mom's footsteps and go into medicine. Or Dad's and go into physics and rocket design. Or…I might chart my own path. Whatever road I choose to go down in the future, I'll remember one big lesson from this past year: A Possible standing alone cannot always do anything, but a Possible standing with friends and loved ones can do almost anything. Yeah…I said almost because one of the biggest lessons I've learned this year is that I'm a human being and all human beings are flawed."

"Well…I have to go now. I'm meeting up with Felix, Monique, Bonnie, Junior, and Ron and Tara at Edna's for a late night snack and coffee. I won't be coming back to see you again, so let me leave you with this last goodbye."

"Losers."

Turning her back on the unmarked grave, Kim Possible walked away from her past and towards her future with a smile on her face as the haunting melody of De Guello played on radio speakers throughout the city reminding Kim and everyone else in Middleton that from death and ruin comes rebirth and hope.

_**A/N: **__This is it. The last part. One of the more fascinating things I've discovered writing this is that a couple of reviewers focused their ire on the least most important part of the entire story-the initial scene. The entire setup was just a dramatic plot device-it was never intended to be a realistic portrayal of an assault. I wasn't about to do a complete and totally 'accurate' rendition-that's not what the story is about. The intention was pure and simple to get the story moving to what was really important-the interpersonal dramas and Kim and Ron's journeys-which are over now. If I to do it over again, I probably would have just dropped a bunker buster bomb on top of the Bueno Natcho HQ and been done with it, but there's no pleasing everyone as I'm sure someone would have objected to that. All you can do is do the best you can to craft a good story which from what I've seen, most of you have enjoyed. So...to those who enjoyed the story thanks and I'm glad you accompanied me on the ride. And if you're still nitpicking over that first scene-Lighten Up! Life's too short to be nitpicking over unimportant stuff. Take care and have a happy an safe New Years!_


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